Mesoporous TiO₂ spheres interconnected by multiwalled carbon nanotubes as an anode for high-performance lithium ion batteries.

We report on the excellent electrochemical response of lithium ion batteries that use a composite material comprised of mesoporous titanium dioxide (MTO) spheres and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for the anode. The composite structure was synthesized via a combined sol-gel and solvothermal method, and the batteries exhibited unprecedented discharge capacity, cycling stability, and reversibility when compared to those based on commercially available TiO2 nanopowders and mesoporous TiO2 spheres. The inclusion of the composite structure resulted in an improvement in electronic and ionic conductivity, a larger surface area, and a colossal number of open channels in the synthesized structure that allowed for lithium ion intercalation. We achieved a Coulombic efficiency of nearly 100% and a discharge capacity as high as 316 mA h g(-1) at a rate of C/5, which is 1.9 times higher than that which is practically attainable with TiO2. Moreover, we observed a capacity loss of only 3.1% after 100 cycles, which indicates that the synthesized structure has a highly stable nature.