Simple fabrication of TiO2/C nanocomposite with enhanced electrochemical performance for lithium-ion batteries

TiO2/C nanocomposites were fabricated by simple hydrolysis of tetrabutyl titanate to yield TiO2 nanoparticles followed by carbonizing the mixture of glucose and TiO2 at 600 degrees C. By merely varying the weight ratio of glucose: TiO2, the electrochemical performance of the composites could be optimized significantly. At a ratio of 0.8, the composite exhibits a high reversible capacity of 283.7 mA h g (1) after cycling 100 times at a current density of 100 mA g (1), as well as the capacities of 245.1, 213.6, 179.9 and 136.6 mA h g (1) at the corresponding densities of 200, 400, 800 and 1600 mA g (1). After cycling 1000 times at 500 mA g (1), a capacity of 122.8 mA h g (1) was retained for the composite with a ratio of 0.8, and even a capacity of 149.1 mA h g (1) for the composite with a ratio of 0.7. The enhanced performance is ascribed to the carbon-coated TiO2 nanoparticles uniformly embedding in the carbon matrix with appropriate carbon content. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.