Polyaniline-Modified Niobium-Doped h-WO3 Nanowires for Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes

In this study, we presented a gram-scale synthesis and the electrochemical evaluation of niobium-doped, PANI-coated tungsten oxide hexagonal nanowires (NWs) as high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The polyaniline treatment of the doped NWs significantly enhanced their electrochemical properties as anode materials for LIBs. The PANI-coated, Nb-doped WO3 hexagonal NWs exhibited a 2.59-fold increase in specific capacity and an approximately 8.57-fold increase in the lithium-ion diffusion coefficient compared to bare WO3 hexagonal NWs. The analysis of the charge storage mechanism revealed that the anode kinetics involve both diffusion and surface adsorption processes. Our strategy provides a strong foundation for possible commercialization of the tungsten oxide hexagonal nanowires for next-generation lithium-ion batteries.