Design and evaluation of novel Zn doped mesoporous TiO2 based anode material for advanced lithium ion batteries

We report Zn doped mesoporous TiO2 microspheres synthesized via a combined sol–gel and solvothermal method exhibiting excellent Li-ion insertion–extraction properties. The specific capacity of Zn doped mesoporous TiO2 microspheres was significantly higher than that of TiO2 nanopowder at high charge–discharge rates. The superior rate performance offered by Zn doped mesoporous TiO2 microspheres may be attributed to enhanced electronic and ionic conductivity, which was achieved by improving the donor density via Zn doping and by providing a well interconnected mesoporous network of nanoparticles for the effective diffusion of Li ions. Zn doped mesoporous TiO2 microspheres showed more than an 87% capacity retention after 100 cycles at a charge–discharge rate of 1 C, demonstrating it to be a promising approach for the development of high-performance Li ion batteries.