TUNING THE STRUCTURAL AND ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF TITANIUM DIOXIDE FOR ENERGY STORAGE

Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one representative electrode material for Li-ion batteries with a high theoretical capacity of 335 mAh g-1. However, due to the intrinsically low electrical conductivity and poor ion diffusion coefficient, pristine TiO2 anodes exhibit unsatisfactory electrochemical performance. To further improve the Li-ion storage capacity and long-term cyclability, many approaches were developed to fabricate TiO2-based materials through nanosizing, doping, or forming composites. In this thesis, three efficient material engineering/modification ways, including architectural optimization, the presence of oxygen vacancy and the introduction of oxygen vacancy with structural disorderness, have been developed and adopted to ameliorate the physicochemical properties of TiO2 particles, thus improving their energy storage properties in specific capacity, rate capability, and cycle stability. More importantly, this thesis not only exhibits the enormous advantages of multiple TiO2 architectures, but also provides open access to reasonable structural design and modification for TiO2-based anode materials for efficient energy storage.