Facile molten salt synthesis of carbon-anchored TiN nanoparticles for durable high-rate lithium-ion battery anodes

Transition metal nitrides (TMNs), including titanium nitride (TiN), exhibit remarkable application prospects as anodes for durable high-rate lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Regrettably, the absence of simple synthesis methods restricts their further development. Herein, a facile and low-cost molten salt synthesis strategy was proposed to prepare carbon-anchored TiN nanoparticles as an advanced anode material for LIBs with high rate capabilities. This nanosized TiN obtained is similar to 5 nm in size and well-distributed onto carbon plates, which could release a reversible capacity of similar to 381.5 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 after 250 cycles and similar to 141.5 mAh g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 after 1000 cycles. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the conversion reaction between TiN and Li-ions happened during the electrochemical reaction process, resulting in the formation of Li3N and Ti. This unique microstructure attributed from TiN nanoparticles anchored by carbon could support the structural volume during cycling. This work highlights the method superiority of TiN prepared via a molten salt synthesis strategy as an anode for LIBs with impressive rate performances.

Automated summary

In this study, a facile and low-cost molten salt synthesis strategy was proposed to prepare carbon-anchored TiN nanoparticles as advanced anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high-rate capabilities. The obtained TiN nanoparticles showed impressive rate performances, making them promising candidates for durable LIBs.