Rationalization of Intercalation Potential and Redox Mechanism for A2Ti3O7 (A = Li, Na)

Na2Ti3O7 was recently reported to be highly promising as a negative electrode material for Na-ion batteries, thanks to its very low intercalation voltage (0.3 V vs Na+/Na0) and high capacity (200 mAh/g). The investigation of the redox mechanism in A2Ti3O7 (A = Li, Na) upon additional alkali ion intercalation concomitant to reduction of titanium is reported in this paper. Even if the low stability of the reduced phases (A2+xTi3O7) precluded a direct study, density functional theory (DFT) calculations allowed us to propose structural models for the reduced phases (A2+xTi3O7), which were further successfully confronted to the available experimental data. The alkali atoms are octahedrally coordinated in the reduced A2+xTi3O7 phase, so that the whole resulting structure can be considered rocksalt type. The very different potentials at which ion insertion is observed for A = Li or A = Na clearly prove that analogies between lithium and sodium systems cannot be taken for granted. In this case, such findings can ...