- Journal
- International Journal of Energy Research
- Date
- 2021.12.02
- Abstract
Pseudocapacitive processes involving faradaic charge transfers for the energy storage of electrode materials has become increasingly important with advancements in nanotechnology, as the number of charge storage locations on the surface of such materials increase upon nano-sizing the active particles. To improve the electrochemical performance of bronze titanium dioxide (TiO2(B)), a promising pseudocapacitive anode material for Li-ion batteries, TiO2(B) nanowires are endowed with N-rich pseudocapacitive surfaces through mild thermal nitridation. In general, preserving the bronze phase of the TiO2(B) nanowires during nitridation is challenging because the crystal structure of TiO2(B) is metastable and the nanowire-shaped active particles with large surface areas are highly reactive. Nevertheless, the resulting TiO2(B) nanowires retain their original bronze phase and exhibit remarkable electrochemical performance (charge capacity: 92 mA h g-1 @ 20 C; capacity retention: 76.4% @ 1 C after 100 cycles). The initial coulombic efficiency of the TiO2(B) nanowires is also improved by suppressing electrolyte reductive decomposition caused by the N-rich surface. This work demonstrates that a N-rich pseudocapacitive surface can promote the Li kinetics of TiO2(B) nanowires and that newly formed O?Ti?N linkages provided by the surface nitridation can improve the electronic conduction and enhance the structural/electrochemical stability of the surface.
- Reference
- Int J Energy Res. 2021;1?8.