Atomic layer deposition assisted sacrificial template synthesis of mesoporous TiO2 electrode for high performance lithium ion battery anodes

Abstract

TiO2 has been considered a promising anode material particularly for large-size Li ion battery (LIB) along with the superior reliability in safety issue. Unfortunately, low Li storage capacity no more than the half of theoretical capacity has been the major bottleneck for the practical utilization of TiO2 anodes. We report mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanocrystalline anode materials produced from atomic layer deposition (ALD) based sacrificial carbon template synthesis for the significant enhancement in reversible capacity approaching the theoretical value. ALD conformal deposition of the nanoscale thick TiO2 layer at sacrificial carbon black template surface and subsequent thermal calcination at relatively low temperature produce mesoporous nanocrystalline TiO2 electrode with anatase crystalline phase. The resultant anode material with large specific surface area (260 m2 g-1) effectively facilitates the Li intercalation/deintercalation at electrode surface as well as enhances electrolyte permeability. Consequently, remarkable specific capacity (280 mA h g-1), high first coulomb efficiency (85%) and excellent cycle ability (80% @100 cycles at 1 C) are achieved (Table S1). This ALD based sacrificial carbon templating method is a fast, facile and controllable advanced technology that offers a robust viable route for various high performance nanostructured materials.