Boosting Sodium Storage of Hierarchical Nanofibers with Porous Carbon-Supported Anatase TiO2/TiO2(B) Nanowires

Structural and phase regulation of TiO2 anode materials has been confirmed to significantly promote sodium storage for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, TiO2/C hierarchical nanofibers with anatase/TiO2(B) mixed phases are synthesized by a dual-template method, which employs an amphiphilic triblock copolymer (F127) and SiO2 as templates. The hierarchical structure of TiO2/C nanofibers provides effective contact for both the anode and electrolyte, and the anatase/TiO2(B) mixed phase causes rapid sodium-ion transmission. Moreover, the TiO2/C anode delivers a high reversible discharge capacity (262 mAh g(-1), 0.1 A g(-1)), remarkable rate capacity (97 mAh g(-1), 2.0 A g(-1)), and stable sodium storage performance (similar to 109 mAh g(-1) over 1000 cycles, 1.0 A g(-1)). This work provides a dependable approach to build hierarchical TiO2 anode materials for SIBs with superior performance.

Automated summary

In this study, hierarchical TiO2/C nanofibers with anatase/TiO2(B) mixed phases were successfully synthesized by a dual-template method. The TiO2/C anode exhibited high reversible discharge capacity, remarkable rate capacity, and stable sodium storage performance, making it a reliable approach for building superior performance TiO2 anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.