Facile synthesis of Ag nanowires/mesoporous TiO2 core-shell nanocables with improved properties for lithium storage

In this paper, coaxial nanocables formed of Ag nanowires with a mesoporous structured TiO2 layer coating (denoted as Ag/TiO2) were successfully fabricated through a facile sol-gel method combined with a hydrothermal treatment process and a short post-annealing procedure. The composite nano-structures show the unique feature of a uniform core-shell structure with highly crystalline nanocrystals, small size (similar to 6 nm), uniform mesopores (similar to 9 nm), high surface area (similar to 93.6 m(2) g(-1)) and highly conductive Ag nanowire which favor the excellent electrochemical performance of the Ag/TiO2 nanocable electrode. The resultant Ag/TiO2 nanocables could deliver a superior lithium storage capability (a stable reversible capacity of similar to 160 mA h g(-1) after 230 cycles at a current density of 1 C).