ABSTRACT
TiO2 is a promising and safe anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Nevertheless, its inferior electronic conductivity and inferior cycling capability have always limited its practical application. In this study, flower-like TiO2 and TiO2@C composites are produced by a simple one-pot solvothermal method. It is noticeable that the synthesis of TiO2 is carried out simultaneously with carbon coating. The flower-like TiO2 with a special morphology can decrease the distance of lithium ion diffusion, while the carbon coating improves the electronic conductivity of TiO2. At the same time, the carbon content of TiO2@C composites can be controlled by adjusting the amount of glucose. Compared with flower-like TiO2, TiO2@C composites have higher specific capacity and preferable cycling performance. It is noteworthy that the specific surface area of TiO2@C with a carbon content of 63.36% is 293.94 m2 g-1 and its capacity remains at 371.86 mAh g-1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g-1. Other anode materials can also be prepared using this strategy.
ABSTRACT
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have high energy density, long life, good safety, and environmental friendliness, and have been widely used in large-scale energy storage and mobile electronic devices. As a cheap and non-toxic anode material for LIBs, titanium dioxide (TiO2) has a good application prospect. However, its poor electrical conductivity leads to unsatisfactory electrochemical performance, which limits its large-scale application. In this review, the structure of three TiO2 polymorphs which are widely investigated are briefly described, then the preparation and electrochemical performance of TiO2 with different morphologies, such as nanoparticles, nanowires, nanotubes, and nanospheres, and the related research on the TiO2 composite materials with carbon, silicon, and metal materials are discussed. Finally, the development trend of TiO2-based anode materials for LIBs has been briefly prospected.
