Ultrafine tin nanocrystallites encapsulated in mesoporous carbon nanowires: scalable synthesis and excellent electrochemical properties for rechargeable lithium ion batteriesElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: (a) XRD patterns; (b) sorption isotherm; (c) EDX analyses; (d) TGA. See DOI: 10.1039/c0cc03385e

A morphology-conserved transformation yields Sn@C nanowires (UTP@CW, ∼21 wt% carbon and ∼77 wt% tin) with a high encapsulation density of ultrafine tin nanoparticles in porous carbon nanowires, which exhibit excellent reversible capacities and cycling performance for lithium ion batteries, especially at high current rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]