One-Dimensional Hierarchical Structures Composed of Novel Metal Oxide Nanosheets on a Carbon Nanotube Backbone and Their Lithium-Storage Properties

Some facile solution methods are developed to directly grow anatase TiO2 nanosheets with exposed (001) facets and SnO2 nanosheets onto a carbon nanotube backbone for the first time. TiO2 nanosheets can also be grown on SnO2@CNT coaxial nanocables. An electrochemical investigation shows that these unique one-dimensional hierarchical nanostructures exhibit significantly enhanced lithium-storage properties under different testing conditions by comparison to the pure metal oxide counterparts, and evidently suggests that improved electrochemical properties of TiO2 and SnO2 can be achieved through proper design of the nanostructure and chemical composition.