Metal–organic framework derived titanium-based anode materials for lithium ion batteries

Abstract

Here, we report a facile and scalable strategy to prepare porous anatase TiO2 tablet consisted of nanoparticles, which is evolved from titanium-based metal–organic framework (MOF) template. After subsequent wet-chemical lithiation and post-annealing, porous Li4Ti5O12 nano-tablet is also obtained. When tested as anode materials for lithium ion batteries, both of them exhibit outstanding electrochemical performances. The capacity of the anatase TiO2 reaches up to 228 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1. At the same time, Li4Ti5O12 delivers a high reversible capacity of 158 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, and excellent cycling stability of maintaining a capacity of 122 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1 between 1.0 V and 2.5 V. The excellent electrochemical properties are attributed to their unique porous structure, which increases active sites to accommodate lithium ions and improve ionic diffusion.