Low-temperature preparation of mesoporous TiO2 honeycomb-like structure on TiO2 nanotube arrays as binder-free anodes for lithium-ion batteries

TiO2 is a typical intercalated-type anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTAs) were prepared by anodic oxidation method on Ti foils. Then treated with TiF4 solution at 60 degrees C for 4 h, anatase TiO2 honeycomb-like structure (HS) was uniformly distributed on the top of TiO2 NTAs. The thickness and diameter of the generated TiO2 HS are about 59 nm and 121-153 nm, respectively. Furthermore, the TiO2 HS has uniform mesopores (similar to 3 nm), which can supply abundant Li-ion diffusion and transport channels. The as-prepared TiO2 NTAs/HS served as binder-free anodes of LIBs and exhibited high invertible specific capacities (290 mAh g(-1), 0.1 A g(-1) and 96 mAh g(-1), 2 A g(-1)). The TiO2 NTAs/HS electrode also showed a good cycling stability with the specific capacity of 40 mAh g(-1) after 1000 cycles at a current density of 1 A g(-1). Hence, this low-temperature in situ preparation of mesoporous TiO2 HS is an effective way to improve the performance of TiO2 as anode for LIBs. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.