Surface surgery on TiNb2O7 electrode via N2/Air atmospheric pressure plasma jet for high-rate lithium-ion battery anode.

[Display omitted] • Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet Technology for the treatment of the electrode. • Defects engineering on the TiNb 2 O 7 ceramics anode materials for the enhancement of electrical conductivity. • Manufacturing N-doped carbon to enhance the high-rate capability. • Enhancement of the electrolyte wettability by modification of the PVdF. • Forming lithium nitride by nitro-groups modification to prevent HF attack. TiNb 2 O 7 (TNO) is regarded as a potential anode material for its high capacity compared to Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 and high safety due to its adequate Fermi level in lithium-ion batteries. This work represents a promising method of modifying the electrode, which includes polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), conductive carbon, and TiNb 2 O 7 , using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPj) treatment. Our results reveal that atmospheric pressure plasma jet improves the electrochemical performance by N-doped decoration on conductive carbon, electrolyte wettability enhancement on polyvinylidene fluoride binder, and defects manufacturing in TiNb 2 O 7 anode materials. Good wettability of surface free energy to 44.6 mJ/m2 in the APPj-treated (APP-10) sample contributes to improved cycling performance. Both N-doped carbon and modified TiNb 2 O 7 promote the high-rate capability. The C-rate performance of APP-10 improves by over 200 % at 10C compared to the non-treated sample (APP-0). APP-10 sample also shows 81.9 % retention after 300 cycles at 1C. The formation of Li 3 N or LiN x O y after cycling due to the nitro-group in the electrode with atmospheric pressure plasma jet offers good protection and high ionic-conductivity interface. This work demonstrates a potential solution to achieve a roll-to-roll modification without any complex synthesis processes, which is a promising technology for the affordable manufacturing of lithium-ion battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]