Rapid and facile synthesis of hierarchically mesoporous TiO2–B with enhanced reversible capacity and rate capability

In the present work, a rapid and facile synthetic route has been developed to fabricate hierarchically mesoporous TiO2–B composed of nanosized primary particles (∼7 nm) for the first time. Such a synthetic route is much simpler than the conventional multistep route involving the synthesis of an alkali metal titanate, an ion-exchange reaction and subsequent calcination process. The synthesized material was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) and nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements. When used as an anode for lithium ion batteries, this material exhibited a high reversible capacity, good rate capability and long-term cycling stability. For instance, a high capacity of 202.3 mA h g−1 can be reached after 100 cycles at a current density of 5C. These excellent electrochemical properties might be attributed to the unique crystal structure and hierarchical characteristics of the material.