Carbon-incorporated, nitrogen-doped branch-like TiO2 nanostructure towards superior lithium storage performance

Hierarchical TiO2 nanostructures have shown a good prospect for energy storage and conversion. However, the intrinsic low conductivity and sluggish reaction kinetics greatly hamper their applications as the anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, an eco-friendly route has been developed as a scalable strategy for preparing the anatase TiO2 nanostructures via a simple template-free hydrothermal process. The as-made TiO2 product has a high surface area of 146.3 m(2) g(-1) and a unique hierarchically branched nanostructure, which is constructed by the rigid trunk and flexible nanosheets. Significantly, the product demonstrates the uniform distribution of carbon/nitrogen in the TiO2 architecture. Benefiting from these unique structural features, the TiO2-400 electrode shows a superior electrochemical performance for reversible lithium storage, demonstrating a high reversible capacity of 268.2 mA h g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1) after 600 cycles and long cycling life. This study also opens a new window for rational design of hierarchical nanostructures with excellent properties by an environmentally benign technique. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.