TiC Nanomaterials with Varying Dimensionalities as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

A facile and efficient route was developed to synthesize TiC nanomaterials with varying dimensionalities. Herein, (Na, K)Cl molten salt was used as the reaction medium; zero-dimensional TiC nanopowders, one-dimensional TiC nanorods, and two-dimensional TiC nanosheets were successfully synthesized by the disproportionation reaction of Ti(II) on acetylene black, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and graphene nanosheet templates, respectively. The as-received TiC nanomaterials (from 0D to 2D) present impressive electrochemical performances as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Thereinto, TiC nanorods show the highest reversible capacities of 348.9 mA h g–1 at 0.1 A g–1 after 120 cycles and 173.5 mA h g–1 at 0.5 A g–1 after 300 cycles. Moreover, the mechanism of lithium-ion charge storage in TiC electrodes was studied. This work provides a flexible strategy for the preparation of non-layered transition-metal carbides with varying dimensionalities.