Aerosol synthesis of trivalent titanium doped titania/carbon composite microspheres with superior sodium storage performance

Trivalent titanium doped titania/carbon (TiO 2– x /C) composite microspheres have been prepared by a facile aerosol method (ultrasonic spray pyrolysis) using titanium (IV) bis(ammonium lactato)dihydroxide (TiBALDH) as the sole precursor. The obtained TiO 2– x /C microspheres have particle sizes in the range of 400–1,000 nm. When evaluated as anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), they provide a high reversible capacity of 286 mA·h·g −1 with good cycling performance. A capacity of 249 mA·h·g −1 can be achieved after 180 cycles at 50 mA·g −1 , which is more than three times higher than that of white TiO 2 microspheres (77 mA·h·g −1 ). The superior sodium storage performance of these TiO 2– x /C composite microspheres can be attributed to the simultaneous introduction of Ti 3+ and oxygen vacancies, ultrafine grain size, as well as the conductive carbon matrix. This study provides a facile and effective approach for the production of TiO 2– x /C nanocomposites with superior sodium storage performance.