Titania/graphene nanocomposites from scalable gas-phase synthesis for high-capacity and high-stability sodium-ion battery anodes.

In sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), TiO 2 or sodium titanates are discussed as cost-effective anode material. The use of ultrafine TiO 2 particles overcomes the effect of intrinsically low electronic and ionic conductivity that otherwise limits the electrochemical performance and thus its Na-ion storage capacity. Especially, TiO 2 nanoparticles integrated in a highly conductive, large surface-area, and stable graphene matrix can achieve an exceptional electrochemical rate performance, durability, and increase in capacity. We report the direct and scalable gas-phase synthesis of TiO 2 and graphene and their subsequent self-assembly to produce TiO 2 /graphene nanocomposites (TiO 2 /Gr). Transmission electron microscopy shows that the TiO 2 nanoparticles are uniformly distributed on the surface of the graphene nanosheets. TiO 2 /Gr nanocomposites with graphene loadings of 20 and 30 wt% were tested as anode in SIBs. With the outstanding electronic conductivity enhancement and a synergistic Na-ion storage effect at the interface of TiO 2 nanoparticles and graphene, nanocomposites with 30 wt% graphene exhibited particularly good electrochemical performance with a reversible capacity of 281 mAh g -1 at 0.1 C, compared to pristine TiO 2 nanoparticles (155 mAh g -1 ). Moreover, the composite showed excellent high-rate performance of 158 mAh g -1 at 20 C and a reversible capacity of 154 mAh g -1 after 500 cycles at 10 C. Cyclic voltammetry showed that the Na-ion storage is dominated by surface and TiO 2 /Gr interface processes rather than slow, diffusion-controlled intercalation, explaining its outstanding rate performance. The synthesis route of these high-performing nanocomposites provides a highly promising strategy for the scalable production of advanced nanomaterials for SIBs.