Oxalate-assisted formation of uniform carbon-confined SnO₂ nanotubes with enhanced lithium storage

SnO₂ nanotubes are synthesized via an oxalate-assisted "redox etching and precipitating" route between MnOOH nanowires and Sn²⁺ ions. The addition of oxalate is found to be crucial to guide the formation of uniform SnO₂ nanotubes. To further improve the conductivity and stability, the as-obtained SnO₂ nanotubes are coated with a thin carbon layer. The resulting carbon-confined SnO₂ nanotubes possess superior rate performance as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries.