Simple synthesis of TiNb6O17/C composite toward high-rate lithium storage

As one kind of promising anode materials for Li-ion batteries, titanium niobium oxides have attracted great attention due to their high theoretical capacities and high rate performances. Herein, TiNb6O17/C composite with TiNb6O17 nanocrystals distributed among amorphous carbon has been synthesized via an in situ sol–gel and then thermal decomposition process. The as-synthesized TiNb6O17/C composite presents reduced crystal size and improved electronic conductivity compared with the pristine TiNb6O17. The TiNb6O17/C displays both excellent rate performance (high specific capacity of 129 mA h g−1 at 30 C) and good cyclic performance (low capacity decay rate of 0.016% per cycle for 500 cycles at 10 C). These results indicate that the approach as reported is a simple yet effective way for high-performance anode with high-rate capability.