title: Ultrathin TiO₂(B) nanorods with superior lithium-ion storage performance.
abstract: The peculiar architecture of a novel class of anisotropic TiO2(B) nanocrystals, which were synthesized by an surfactant-assisted nonaqueous sol-gel route, was profitably exploited to fabricate highly efficient mesoporous electrodes for Li storage. These electrodes are composed of a continuous spongy network of interconnected nanoscale units with a rod-shaped profile that terminates into one or two bulgelike or branch-shaped apexes spanning areas of about 5 × 10 nm(2). This architecture transcribes into a superior cycling performance (a charge capacitance of 222 mAh g(-1) was achieved by a carbon-free TiO2(B)-nanorods-based electrode vs 110 mAh g(-1) exhibited by a comparable TiO2-anatase electrode) and good chemical stability (more than 90% of the initial capacity remains after 100 charging/discharging cycles). Their outstanding lithiation/delithiation capabilities were also exploited to fabricate electrochromic devices that revealed an excellent coloration efficiency (130 cm(2) C(-1) at 800 nm) upon the application of 1.5 V as well as an extremely fast electrochromic switching (coloration time ∼5 s).
authors.affiliation: Center for Bio-Molecular Nanotechnology, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia , Via Barsanti, 73010 Arnesano, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giannuzzi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manca
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Marco
authors.forename: Maria R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Belviso
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cannavale
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sibillano
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giannini
authors.forename: P Davide
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Cozzoli
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gigli