Surface-amorphized TiO2 nanoparticles anchored on graphene as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

One demanding challenge in the development of high-power batteries is to achieve superior rate and cycling performances. Here, we report a two-step method to fabricate a hybrid material of surface-amorphized TiO 2 /reduced graphene oxide (SA- TiO 2 /RGO), which exhibits superior electrochemical properties as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries, high rate property of 135.6 mAh g −1 at a current density of 10 A g −1 and cycling stability of 98 mAh g −1 after 2000 cycles at 5 A g −1 . These excellent performances originate from the unique three-dimensional integrated structure of SA-TiO 2 /RGO, which provides: (i) a conductive substrate of RGO; (ii) higher conductivity of SA-TiO 2 relative to crystallized-TiO 2 ; (iii) ultra-small SA-TiO 2 nanoparticles; and (iv) excellent contact between SA-TiO 2 and RGO through C-O-Ti bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]