A chronicle of titanium niobium oxide materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries: From laboratory to industry

Titanium niobium oxide (TiNbxO2 + 2.5x) is emerging as a promising electrode material for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its exceptional safety characteristics, high electrochemical properties (e.g., cycling stability and rate performance), and eco-friendliness. However, several intrinsic critical drawbacks, such as relatively low electrical conductivity, significantly hinder its practical applications. Developing reliable strategies is crucial to accelerating the practical use of TiNbxO2 + 2.5x-based materials in LIBs, especially high-power LIBs. Here, we provide a chronicle review of the research progress on TiNbxO2 + 2.5x-based anodes from the early 1950s to the present, which is classified into early stage (before 2008), emerging stage (2008-2012), explosive stage (2013-2017), commercialization (2018), steady development (2018-2022), and new breakthrough stage (since 2022). In each stage, the advancements in the fundamental science and application of the TiNbxO2 + 2.5x-based anodes are reviewed, and the corresponding developing trends of TiNbxO2 + 2.5x-based anodes are summarized. Moreover, several future research directions to propel the practical use of TiNbxO2 + 2.5x anodes are suggested based on reviewing the history. This review is expected to pave the way for developing the fabrication and application of high-performance TiNbxO2 + 2.5x-based anodes for LIBs. A comprehensive chronicle review of the TiNbxO2 + 2.5x-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries over the last few decades has been performed, which is instructive and inspiring for the development of high-performance TiNbxO2 + 2.5x-based lithium-ion batteries. image