Oxygen-Deficient TiO2-δ Nanoparticles via Hydrogen Reduction for High Rate Capability Lithium Batteries

The interest of exploring environmentally benign and safe anode materials for lithium batteries has led to TiO2 (anatase) nanostructures as promising candidates. However, the poor chemical diffusion of lithium in the materials still limits the rate capability. We report on the high rate capability of lithium storage with oxygen-deficient TiO2-delta nanoparticles prepared by hydrogen reduction. A systematic study on the effect of electronic charge carrier concentration on the overall electrochemical lithium storage performance revealed that well-balanced Li+/e(-) transport is the key factor for high-performance TiO2 anodes.