Direct Access to Mesoporous Crystalline TiO2/Carbon Composites with Large and Uniform Pores for Use as Anode Materials in Lithium Ion Batteries

Abstract

Mesoporous and highly crystalline TiO2 (anatase)/carbon composites with large (> 5nm) and uniform pores were synthesized using PI-b-PEO block copolymers as structure directing agents. Pore sizes could be tuned by utilizing block copolymers with different molecular weights. The resulting mesoporous TiO2/carbon was successfully used as an anode material for Li ion batteries. Without addition of conducting aid (Super P), the electrode showed high capacity during the first insertion/desertion cycle due to carbon wiring inside the walls of mesoporous TiO2/carbon. The electrode further showed stable cycle performance up to 50 cycles and the specific charge capacity at 30 C was 38mA h (g of TiO2)(-1), which indicates CCM-TiO2/carbon can be used as a material for high rate use.