title: Mesoporous TiO2@N-doped carbon composite nanospheres synthesized by the direct carbonization of surfactants after sol-gel process for superior lithium storage.
abstract: Here, we report mesoporous TiO2@N-doped carbon composite nanospheres synthesized via a double-surfactant-assisted assembly sol-gel process followed by sequential carbonization of surfactants under a N2atmosphere. The resulting TiO2@N-doped C composite nanospheres are composed of uniformly distributed TiO2nanocrystals with a diameter of ∼8 nm coated by a N-doped carbon layer that was formed by surfactants. Moreover, a large number of connected mesopores were observed in the nanospheres after high-temperature carbonization treatment. The synthesized nanospheres possess a large specific surface area (∼120 m2g-1) and a large pore size (4-40 nm), with a well-defined spherical structure and a diameter in the nanoscale range. As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIB), the mesoporous composite nanospheres delivered a reversible capacity of ∼117 mA h g-1after 2000 cycles at a current rate as high as 10 C, as well as superior rate capability. The N-doped carbon layers greatly improved the overall electrical conductivity of the mesoporous TiO2nanospheres. This study provides a remarkable synthetic route for the preparation of mesoporous TiO2-based N-doped carbon composite materials as high-performance anode materials in LIBs.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Department of Chemistry, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. dyzhao@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hongwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Department of Chemistry, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. dyzhao@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yunke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Department of Chemistry, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. dyzhao@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Manas
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pal
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Department of Chemistry, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. dyzhao@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yupu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Department of Chemistry, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. dyzhao@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Department of Chemistry, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. dyzhao@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jinxiu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Department of Chemistry, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. dyzhao@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Department of Chemistry, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. dyzhao@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Dongyuan
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8440-6902
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao