Boosting the cyclability of commercial TiO2 anode by introducing appropriate amount of Ti9O17 during coating carbon

Resourceful TiO2 is a potential alternative as anode material for Li-Ion batteries, but the low electrochemical performance of commercial TiO2 (c-TiO2) is the obstacle for its practical application. Herein, appropriate amount of Ti9O17 was introduced by simply coating carbon at 900 °C employing pitch as carbon precursor. The carbon-coated c-TiO2 derived from 12 wt% pitch exhibited appreciable rate performance and cycling stability (retaining a reversible capacity of 155.8 mAh g−1 after cycling at 500 mA g−1 for 800 cycles). Combining the comparative experiments and systematic characterizations on the products, the appropriate amount of Ti9O17 introduced by controlling the pitch content during coating carbon contributes to meliorating the electronic and ionic conductivity of TiO2, resulting in the boosted electrochemical performance.