Fast and stable lithium-ion storage kinetics of anatase titanium dioxide/carbon onion hybrid electrodes

Abstract

Research on alternatives to replace conventional graphite anodes is needed to advance lithium-ion battery technology. In this work, an anatase nano-TiO2/carbon onion hybrid material (nano-TiO2–C) is introduced as a rapid and stable lithium storage anode material, synthesized by a simple synthetic route using tailored sol–gel chemistry. The nano-TiO2–C hybrid material provides highly reversible capacity (166 mA h g−1 at 0.02 A g−1), promising rate capability (61 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1), and long-term cycle stability (capacity retention: 94% at 1 A g−1 for 1000 cycles). We demonstrate that hybridization of nano-TiO2 with carbon onions improves the high rate performance significantly.