Layered titanium disilicide stabilized by oxide coating for highly reversible lithium insertion and extraction.
The discovery of new materials has played an important role in battery technology development. Among the newly discovered materials, those with layered structures are often of particular interest because many have been found to permit highly repeatable ionic insertion and extraction. Examples include graphite and LiCoO(2) as anode and cathode materials, respectively. Here we report C49 titanium disilicide (TiSi(2)) as a new layered anode material, within which lithium ions can react with the Si-only layers. This result is enabled by the strategy of coating a thin (<5 nm) layer of oxide on the surface of TiSi(2). This coating helped us rule out the possibility that the measured capacity is due to surface reactions. It also stabilizes TiSi(2) to allow for the direct observation of TiSi(2) in its lithiated and delithiated states. In addition, this stabilization significantly improved the charge and discharge performance of TiSi(2). The confirmation that the lithium-ion storage capacity of TiSi(2) is a result of its layered structure is expected to have major fundamental and practical implications.
Department of Chemistry, Merkert Chemistry Center, Boston College, 2609 Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, United States.
Sa
S
Zhou
Zachary I
ZI
Simpson
Xiaogang
X
Yang
Dunwei
D
Wang
D000042:Absorption; D008094:Lithium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008422:Materials Testing; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D017640:Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
D010087:Oxides; D017640:Silicates; C103828:titanium silicide; D008094:Lithium; D014025:Titanium