Scalable modified Solid-State Synthesis of Na2Ti3O7 Nanorods As Anodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Sodium-ion batteries are regarded as one of the potential candidates to substitute lithium ion batteries in large-scale electric energy storage applications in the near future. [1] Several forms of sodium titanates including Na2Ti3O7, Na2Ti6O13 and Na4Ti5O12have been recently applied as anode in sodium ion batteries. [2-4] In this study, single-crystalline Na2Ti3O7 nanorods are successfully fabricated by solid-state method with the addition of some solid additives. The electrochemical performance of Na2Ti3O7 nanorods is compared to conventionally synthesized Na2Ti3O7 irregular particles. Na2Ti3O7 nanorods outperform Na2Ti3O7 irregular particles at all current rates in the range of 0.1 to 5 C. Without surface modification, the nanorods can still manifest a reversible discharge capacity of 70 mAhg-1at a high current rate of 5 C. The enhanced electrochemical performance can be attributed to the high surface area of the nanorods as well as efficient ion transport induced in highly uniform one-dimensional nanostructure. References H. Pan, Y.-S. Hu and L. Chen, Energy & Environmental Science, 2013, 6, 2338-2360.P. Senguttuvan, G. Rousse, V. Seznec, J.-M. Tarascon and M. R. Palacín, Chemistry of Materials, 2011, 23, 4109-4111.A. Rudola, K. Saravanan, S. Devaraj, H. Gong and P. Balaya, Chemical Communications, 2013, 49, 7451-7453.P. J. P. Naeyaert, M. Avdeev, N. Sharma, H. B. Yahia and C. D. Ling, Chemistry of Materials, 2014, 26, 7067-7072. Acknowledgements This project is financially supported by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (GRF 17300014), HKU Small Project Funding (201409176115), HKU Strategic Research Theme on Clean Energy, and University Development Fund for Initiative for Clean Energy and Environment. Figure 1