Shape-controlled synthesis of Ag@TiO2 cage-bell hybrid structure with enhanced photocatalytic activity and superior lithium storage

Cage-bell hybrid Ag-modified TiO2 nanoparticle aggregates are fabricated through an environmental template-free route and subsequent facile impregnation method. The intrinsic hollow core–shell microstructure makes multiple reflections of light within the chamber, allowing more efficient use of a light source compared with solid structures. This structure can also shorten the lengths for both electronic and ionic transport, enlarge the surface areas of electrodes, and the improve accommodation of the volume change during Li insertion/extraction cycling. Furthermore, the introduction of Ag is beneficial for the enhancement of the interfacial charge transfer efficiency to adsorbed substrates and for the improvement of its high-rate discharge capacity. Therefore, Ag@TiO2 exhibits remarkable photocatalytic activity under visible light and improved performance as an anode material for lithium ion batteries. This strategy is simple, cheap and amenable to mass-production, which may shed light on a new avenue for large-scale synthesis of cage-bell structural nanofunctional materials for catalysis, energy storage and other applications.