In situ characterization of LiY(WO4)2 nanotubes for electrochemical energy storage

Here, LiY(WO4)2 nanotubes are prepared via a feasible electrospinning technique. This new anode material shows excellent electrochemical properties. The capacity loss of LiY(WO4)2 nanotubes is as low as 6.9% after 156 cycles, while bulk LiY(WO4)2 presents the capacity loss higher than 55.0%. Even after 600 long-life cycles, the capacity loss of the nanotubes is only 9%. It can be seen that the hollow structure with a rough surface and a porous morphology contributes to the improvement of electrochemical performance. Furthermore, online X-ray diffraction (XRD) method is firstly applied to understand the lithium ions insertion/extraction mechanism of LiY(WO4)2 nanotubes. It can be concluded that it is an asymmetrical two-phase reaction. A phase transformation from LiY(WO4)2 to Li3Y(WO4)2 can be obviously seen from the in situ XRD during discharge process. While Li2Y(WO4)2 appears as an intermediate phase with a reverse charge reaction. In addition, in situ XRD also demonstrates that LiY(WO4)2 nanotubes have surprised electrochemical reversibility. All the above results indicate that LiY(WO4)2 nanotubes can be expected to be anode candidate for rechargeable lithium ion batteries (LIBs).