Surface-amorphized TiO2 nanoparticles anchored on graphene as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

One demanding challenge in the development of high-power batteries is to achieve superior rate and cycling performances. Here, we report a two-step method to fabricate a hybrid material of surface-amorphized TiO2/reduced graphene oxide (SA- TiO2/RGO), which exhibits superior electrochemical properties as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries, high rate property of 135.6 mAh g(-1) at a current density of 10 Ag-1 and cycling stability of 98 mAh g(-1) after 2000 cycles at 5 Ag-1. These excellent performances originate from the unique three-dimensional integrated structure of SA-TiO2/RGO, which provides: (i) a conductive substrate of RGO; (ii) higher conductivity of SA-TiO2 relative to crystallized-TiO2; (iii) ultra-small SA-TiO2 nanoparticles; and (iv) excellent contact between SA-TiO2 and RGO through C-O-Ti bonds.