Facile Synthesis of Mesoporous TiO2-C Nanosphere as an Improved Anode Material for Superior High Rate 1.5 V Rechargeable Li Ion Batteries Containing LiFePO4-C Cathode

Well-organized mesoporous TiO2-C nanospheres are manufactured in large scale starting from tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) and glucose in solution, and investigated with scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, and electrochemical experiments. The TiO2-C nanospheres show excellent rate capability and cycling performance for lithium ion batteries. At the extremely high rate of 100 C (discharge/charge within 36 s), the TiO2-C nanosphere can still deliver a specific capacity as high as 96 mA h g(-1). Moreover, the as-obtained mesoporous TiO2-C nanosphere can be used as an anode material for a new high rate 1.5 V rechargeable Li ion full cell containing a LiFePO4-C cathode with similar mixed conducting 3D networks. This type of rechargeable battery typically gives an output of 1.5 V per cell, which raises the potential for directly replacing the widely used 1.5 V primary alkaline batteries and dry cells.