Carbon-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) as Li-ion battery electrode: Synthesis, characterization, and performance

Development of lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion batteries) with high safety and solidity features has become a main challenge of researchers when practical implementations for large-scale energy storage systems are prioritized. In this work, we introduce a useful and efficient strategy to manufacture a long-standing and high-rate carbon-doped TiO2 (C-TiO2) as an anode material. Titanium (TiO2) and C-TiO2 were successfully prepared through hydrothermal method in order to improve the electrical performance of Li-battery. The structure and thermal properties were investigated by XRD, Raman and TGA; whereas the electrical properties were evaluated by Glvanostatic discharge–charge measurements. The density function theory (DFT) results revealed that TiO2 doped with carbon atoms causes considerable stress inside the crystal lattice of TiO2, and to avoid or minimize this stress the lattice of TiO2 underwent relaxation and then optimized. The performance of the prepared electrodes in Li-battery was analyzed by 100 cycles at different calcination temperatures of 400 and 450 °C. The results also showed the charge capacities of 400 and 500 mAhg−1 at 100 mAg−1.