High Performance N-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Decorated TiO2 Nanofibers as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

N-doped mesoporous carbon decorated TiO2 nanofibers were synthesized for the first time by a facile electrospinning process combined with subsequent heat treatment and investigated as an anode material for lithium-ion battery applications. The N-doped mesoporous carbon decorated TiO2 nanofibers had continuous one-dimensional (1-D) geometry with a smooth surface and an average thickness of ∼250 nm. The nanofibers comprised both interconnected polycrystalline TiO2 and numerous mesopores in N-doped carbon. After 100 cycles at current density of 33 mA/g, the N-doped mesoporous carbon decorated TiO2 nanofibers still exhibited a high capacity of 264 mAh/g. This superior electrochemical performance is attributed to small TiO2 crystallites, N-doped mesoporous carbon, favorable 1-D nanostructures, and smooth accommodation of the strain occurring during the charge–discharge process.