Flower-like assembly of ultrathin nanosheets composed of anatase and bronze TiO2 embedded in carbon is successfully synthesized by a simple solvothermal reaction, followed with a high-temperature annealing. As an anode material in sodium-ion batteries, this composite exhibits outstanding electrochemical performances. It delivers a reversible capacity of 120 mA h g-1 over 6000 cycles at 10 C. Even at 100 C, there is still a capacity of 104 mA h g-1. Besides carbon matrix and hierarchical structure, abundant interfaces between anatase and bronze greatly enhance the performance by offering additional sites for reversible Na+ storage and improving the charge-transfer kinetics. The interface enhancements are confirmed by discharge/charge profiles, rate performances, electrochemical impedance spectra, and first-principle calculations. These results offer a new pathway to upgrade the performances of anode materials in sodium-ion batteries.
Keywords: DFT calculations; TiO2; biphase interface; nanostructures; sodium-ion batteries.