Rapid Synthesis and Good Performance of TiO2/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Spheres as Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries

A facile, efficient and short-time shearing method was developed to synthesize TiO 2 precursor, then followed by calcining in NH 3 gas to obtain nitrogen-doped carbon coated TiO 2 (TiO 2 / N -C) successfully. Interestingly, the prepared TiO 2 / N -C nanospheres were assembled by many tiny nanoparticles (NPs) and possessed rough surface. When used as an anode material, the TiO 2 / N -C exhibited reversible specific capacity of 277 mA h g −1 after 220 cycles at the current density of 0.6 C, indicating the superb cycle stability of TiO 2 / N -C. And a good rate capability at different current densities was also obtained. The excellent performance of the TiO 2 / N -C was due to the nitrogen-doped carbon and assembly structure, which could enhance the electrical conductivity and buffer the volume expansion during the charge and discharge process. Furthermore, the tiny NPs can short the transportation path of lithium ions and the gaps produced between connective tiny NPs could accommodate the volume change. So, the method of high speed shearing has great potential in synthesizing other anode materials for lithium ion batteries.