High cyclability of ionic liquid-produced TiO2 nanotube arrays as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries

► A proof-of-concept study for using ionic liquid-produced TiO2 nanotubes (ILNTs) as a novel anode. ► ILNTs contain much less microstructural defects than NTs grown in conventional organic solutions. ► ILNTs demonstrated excellent capacity retention w/o microstructural damage for near 1200 cycles. ► In contrast, conventional TiO2 NTs pulverized in cycling, resulting in significant capacity fade.