Electrochemical study on the rechargeability of TiO2 as electrode material for Al-ion batteries with chloroaluminate ionic liquid electrolyte

Abstract

The renewal of research interest in rechargeable aluminum-ion batteries could be seen as a massive boost for the exploration of Al3+-ion electroactive electrode materials in recent times. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is less explored but could be a promising electrode material for aluminum-ion battery. Here, we demonstrate the rechargeability of an Al-ion cell with anatase TiO2 as cathode in chloroaluminate ionic liquid electrolyte. The Al-TiO2 cell exhibited excellent long-term stability with maximum specific capacity of 25 mAh g−1 at current rate of 500 mA g−1 at room temperature. The electroactive nature of TiO2 in the chloroaluminate electrolyte is clearly demonstrated both by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic cycling studies. The synergistic effect of current collector in improving the long-term stability of Al-TiO2 cell is also revealed.