A Porous TiO2 Electrode Prepared by an Energy Efficient Pyro-Synthesis for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Anatase-type titanium dioxide (TiO2) anodes were prepared by a polyol-assisted pyro-synthetic process followed by mild annealing at temperatures in the range of 300 to 600°C for 3 h. The XRD studies clearly revealed the formation of anatase-type TiO2 for all of the prepared samples. The average crystallite size, calculated using the Scherrer formula, was determined to be less than 50 nm in all samples. Electron microscopy studies revealed that the particle-size in all samples ranged from 5 to 50 nm. N2 adsorption studies confirmed that the samples show mesoporous characteristics and in particular the TiO2 anode prepared at 500°C demonstrated a unique tri-porous feature that appears to benefit its electrochemical performances vs. lithium. Although there is no order of variation in the particle-size of the samples prepared at temperatures under 600°C, the tri-porous feature in combination with the sufficiently high particle crystallinity in the TiO2 anode prepared at 500°C appears to contribute to its impressive electrochemical lithium storage properties among the prepared electrodes. The pyro-synthetic strategy aids in developing nanostructured battery electrodes with porous morphologies and appears to offer promise for being developed as an energy saving process for large-scale applications.