Micelle-directed self-assembly of single-crystal-like mesoporous stoichiometric oxides for high-performance lithium storage

Due to their uncontrollable assembly and crystallization process,the synthesis of mesoporous metal oxide single crystals remains a formidable challenge.Herein,we report the synthesis of single-crystal-like mesoporous Li2TiSiO5 by using soft micelles as templates.The key lies in the atomic-scale self-assembly and step-crystallization processes,which ensure the formation of single-crystal-like mesoporous Li2TiSiO5microparticles via an oriented attachment growth mechanism under the confinement of an in-situ formed carbon matrix.The mesoporous Li2TiSiO5 anode achieves a superior rate capability(148 mAh g-1 at5.0 A g-1) and outstanding long-term cycling stability(138 mAh g-1 after 3000 cycles at 2.0 A g-1) for lithium storage as a result of the ultrafast Li+diffusion caused by penetrating mesochannels and nanosized crystal frameworks（5-10 nm）.In comparison,bulk Li2TiSiO5 exhibits poor rate capability and cycle performance due to micron-scale diffusion lengths.This method is very simple and reproducible,heralding a new way of designing and synthesizing mesoporous single crystals with controllable frameworks and chemical functionalities.