Influence of Mesoporosity on Lithium-Ion Storage Capacity and Rate Performance of Nanostructured TiO₂(B)

Here, we present the Li(+) insertion behavior of mesoporous ordered TiO(2)(B) nanoparticles (meso-TiO(2)(B)). Using presynthesized 4 nm TiO(2)(B) nanoparticles as building blocks and a commercially available ethylene glycol-propylene glycol block copolymer (P123) as a structure-directing agent, we were able to produce mesoporous structures of high-purity TiO(2)(B) with nanocrystallinity and mesopore channels ranging from 10 to 20 nm in diameter. We compared the Li(+) insertion properties of nontemplated TiO(2)(B) nanoparticles (nano-TiO(2)(B)) to meso-TiO(2)(B) via voltammetry and galvanostatic cycling and found significant increases in overall Li(+) insertion capacity for the latter. While nano-TiO(2)(B) and meso-TiO(2)(B) both show surface charging (pseudocapacitive) Li(+) insertion behavior, meso-TiO(2)(B) exhibits a higher overall capacity especially at high charge rates. We attribute this effect to higher electrode/electrolyte contact area as well as the improved electron and ion transport in meso-TiO(2)(B). In this study, we have demonstrated the influence of both nanostructuring and mesoporosity on Li(+) insertion behavior by rationally controlling the overall architecture of the TiO(2)(B) materials.