Influences of calcination temperature on the shape and electrochemical performance of TiO2 anode materials prepared through normal-pressure hydrolysis-ion exchange of potassium salt

Flower-like and pompon-like titanium dioxide (TiO2) anode materials are of interest due to various characteristics such as the excellent transport kinetics of lithium ions, favorable safety performance, low volume expansion coefficient, and special shapes. The TiO2 anode materials in flower-like or pompon-like shapes were prepared by applying the normal-pressure hydrolysis-ion exchange of potassium (K) salt. Furthermore, the influences of different calcination temperatures on the phase structure, shape, and electrochemical performance of the materials were investigated. The results show that TiO2 prepared by applying the aforementioned technique within the test temperature range appears in anatase form. Moreover, TiO2 crystals vary from flower-like to pompon-like materials with increasing calcination temperature. The materials show optimal electrochemical performance at a calcination temperature of 700 °C: the specific charge/discharge capacity in the first cycle reaches 250.2 mAh·g−1 at a current density of 20 mA·g−1 and a capacity of 185.3 mAh·g−1 after 20 cycles at a current density of 100 mA·g−1, retaining 85.8% of the original capacity.