New routes to formation of tin oxide inverted opals with unique morphologies are presented. Inverted opals with walls formed from assemblies of tin oxide nanocrystals are formed from tin acetate precursor, while mesoporous walls are formed when tin alkoxide precursors are used. The inverted opals are investigated by a variety of techniques in order to determine their structure and the dependence of electrochemical properties on the type of precursor used. We found that the initial discharge capacity of the inverted opal based batteries reaches 1200 mAhg~(-1) but quickly fades afterwards, as it is typical for tin oxide based anodes. Careful investigation of processes occurring in the tin oxide inverted opal anodes may lead to improvement of their performance improvement, and further development of self-supported tin oxide based anodes.
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