TiO2-modified red phosphorus nanosheets entangled in carbon nanotubes for high performance lithium ion batteries

Abstract Red phosphorus (P) represents one kind of high-capacity anodes for lithium ion batteries. Practical application of red P is primarily limited by its low conductivity, severe volume expansion and consequent sluggish electrode kinetics. Herein, we propose a P-TiO 2 @CNT composite with TiO 2 -modified red P nanosheets well entangled in carbon nanotube (CNT) network. The co-incorporation of amorphous TiO 2 and CNT can synergistically provide dual accommodation to red P, which not only allow its lithiation and volume expansion to exhibit high capacities, but also buffer the stress during red P expansion and avoid structural destruction. Meanwhile, the CNTs support a highly conductive skeleton and porous framework in the composite, which continuously provides high conductivity and creates more active sites for lithium storage during repeated electrochemical reactions. The P-TiO 2 @CNT electrode exhibits impressive cycling stability (87% capacity retention in 200 cycles at 0.2 A g −1 ) and excellent rate capability (750 mAh g −1 at 10 A g −1 ), making it a promising anode material for high-capacity and high-rate lithium-ion batteries.