Anatase TiO2 ultrathin nanobelts derived from room-temperature-synthesized titanates for fast and safe lithium storage

Nanostructured TiO2 Arrays for Energy Storage

Because of their extensive specific surface area, excellent charge transfer rate, superior chemical stability, low cost, and Earth abundance, nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO₂) arrays have been thoroughly explored during the past few decades. The synthesis methods for TiO₂ nanoarrays, which mainly include hydrothermal/solvothermal processes, vapor-based approaches, templated growth, and top-down fabrication techniques, are summarized, and the mechanisms are also discussed. In order to improve their electrochemical performance, several attempts have been conducted to produce TiO₂ nanoarrays with morphologies and sizes that show tremendous promise for energy storage. This paper provides an overview of current developments in the research of TiO₂ nanostructured arrays. Initially, the morphological engineering of TiO₂ materials is discussed, with an emphasis on the various synthetic techniques and associated chemical and physical characteristics. We then give a brief overview of the most recent uses of TiO₂ nanoarrays in the manufacture of batteries and supercapacitors. This paper also highlights the emerging tendencies and difficulties of TiO₂ nanoarrays in different applications.

Experimental Studies on TiO2 NT with Metal Dopants through Co-Precipitation, Sol-Gel, Hydrothermal Scheme and Corresponding Computational Molecular Evaluations

In the last decade, TiO₂ nanotubes have attracted the attention of the scientific community and industry due to their exceptional photocatalytic properties, opening a wide range of additional applications in the fields of renewable energy, sensors, supercapacitors, and the pharmaceutical industry. However, their use is limited because their band gap is tied to the visible light spectrum. Therefore, it is essential to dope them with metals to extend their physicochemical advantages. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the preparation of metal-doped TiO₂ nanotubes. We address hydrothermal and alteration methods that have been used to study the effects of different metal dopants on the structural, morphological, and optoelectrical properties of anatase and rutile nanotubes. The progress of DFT studies on the metal doping of TiO₂ nanoparticles is discussed. In addition, the traditional models and their confirmation of the results of the experiment with TiO₂ nanotubes are reviewed, as well as the use of TNT in various applications and the future prospects for its development in other fields. We focus on the comprehensive analysis and practical significance of the development of TiO₂ hybrid materials and the need for a better understanding of the structural-chemical properties of anatase TiO₂ nanotubes with metal doping for ion storage devices such as batteries.

Effect of Ag modification on TiO2 and melem/g-C3N4 composite on photocatalytic performances

Here, the comparison of two different semiconductor materials is demonstrated, TiO₂ and melem/g-C₃N₄ composites-modified with balls of approximately 5 nm Ag nanoparticles (NPs) as photocatalysts for the degradation of the model dye acid orange 7 (AO7). The melem molecule synthesized here is one of a series of organic compounds consisting of triazine ring compounds with a structure similar to that of melam and melamine. The photodegradation process of AO7 was carried out to examine all powder materials as a potential photocatalyst. Additionally, two different lamps of wavelengths 368 nm (UV light) and 420 nm (VIS light) were applied to compare the photodegradation tests. A new synthesis route for the acquisition of Ag NPs (Ag content 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 wt%), based on a wet and low temperature method without the use of reducing reagents was proposed. The best photocatalytic performances under UV and VIS light were obtained for both, TiO₂ and melem/g-C₃N₄ materials (new synthesis route) modified with a very low Ag content-0.5 wt%. The photodegradation activities using UV lamp (3 h, 368 nm irradiation) for samples with 0.5 wt% of Ag: TiO₂ and melem/g-C₃N₄, in excess of 95 and 94%, respectively, were achieved. The highest photoactive materials melem/g-C₃N₄ with 0.5 and 1 wt% Ag revealed 98% of activity under the VIS lamp after 3 h long irradiation. Our work demonstrates a novel, environmentally acceptable, and cost-effective chemical strategy for preparation of photocatalysts suitable for degradation of organic contaminants in wastewater treatment.

High-Performance Mg-Li Hybrid Batteries Based on Pseudocapacitive Anatase Ti1-x Cox O2-y Nanosheet Cathodes

Despite the proposed safety, performance, and cost advantages, practical implementation of Mg-Li hybrid batteries is limited due to the unavailability of reliable cathodes compatible with the dual-ion system. Herein, a high-performance Mg-Li dual ion battery based upon cobalt-doped TiO₂ cathode was developed. Extremely pseudocapacitance-type Ti_1-x Co_x O_2-y nanosheets consist of an optimum 3.57 % Co-atoms. This defective cathode delivered exceptional pseudocapacitance (maximum of 93 %), specific capacities (386 mAh g^-1 at 25 mA g^-1 ), rate performance (191 mAh g^-1 at 1 A g^-1 ), cyclability (3000 cycles at 1 A g^-1 ), and coulombic efficiency (≈100 %) and fast charging (≈11 min). This performance was superior to the TiO₂ -based Mg-Li dual-ion battery cathodes reported earlier. Mechanistic studies revealed dual-ion intercalation pseudocapacitance with negligible structural changes. Excellent electrochemical performance of the cation-doped TiO₂ cathode was credited to the rapid pseudocapacitance-type Mg/Li-ion diffusion through the disorder generated by lattice distortions and oxygen vacancies. Ultrathin nature, large surface area, 2D morphology, and mesoporosity also contributed as secondary factors facilitating superior electrode-electrolyte interfacial kinetics. The demonstrated method of pseudocapacitance-type Mg-Li dual-ion intercalation by introducing lattice distortions/oxygen vacancies through selective doping can be utilized for the development of several other potential electrodes for high-performance Mg-Li dual-ion batteries.

3D-Assembled rutile TiO2 spheres with c-channels for efficient lithium-ion storage

Three-dimensional (3D) TiO₂ architectures have attracted significant attention recently as they can improve the electrochemical stability and realize the full potential of TiO₂-based anodes in lithium ion batteries. Here, flower-like rutile TiO₂ spheres with radially assembled nanorods (c-channels) were fabricated via a simple hydrothermal method. The 3D radial architecture affords massive active sites to fortify the lithium storage. Moreover, the presence of c-channels facilitates electrolyte infiltration and offers facile pathways for efficient Li⁺ transport. As a result, this flower-like rutile TiO₂ anode gives significantly enhanced specific capacities (615 mA h g^-1 at 1 C and 386 mA h g^-1 at 2 C after 400 cycles) and a superior long-term cyclability (up to 10 000 cycles with a specific capacity of 67 mA h g^-1 at 100 C). Kinetic analysis reveals that the enhanced diffusion-controlled and surface capacitive storage leads to the excellent electrochemical behavior. This work not only exhibits the enormous advantages of 3D architectures with c-channels, but also provides access to structural design and crystal phase selection for TiO₂-based anode materials.

Branching TiO2nanowire arrays for enhanced ethanol sensing

Nanostructure modulation is effective to achieve high performance TiO₂-based gas sensors. We herein report a wet-chemistry route to precipitate directly branched TiO₂nanowire arrays on alumina tubes for gas sensing applications. The optimized branched TiO₂nanowire array exhibits a response of 9.2 towards 100 ppm ethanol; whilst those of the pristine TiO₂nanowire array and the branched TiO₂nanowire powders randomly distributed are 5.1 and 3.1, respectively. The enhanced response is mainly contributed to the unique porous architecture and quasi-aligned nanostructure, which provide more active sites and also favor gas migration. Phase junctions between the backbone and the branch of the branched TiO₂nanowire arrays help the resistance modulation as a result of potential barriers. The facile precipitation of quasi-aligned arrays of branched TiO₂nanowires, which arein situgrown on ceramic tubes, thus provides a new economical synthetic route to TiO₂-based sensors with excellent properties.

Enhanced active oxidative species generation over Fe-doped defective TiO2 nanosheets for boosted photodegradation

Semiconductor photocatalysis is widely proposed for decomposing multiple pollutants via photo-generated oxidative species. However, the photocatalytic degradation performance in practical settings still remains unsatisfactory due to the limited production of active oxidative species (AOS). In this work, a defect engineering strategy was developed to explore the superiority of oxygen vacancies (Vo) and their structural regulation to enhance AOS production for boosting photodegradation. Taking anatase TiO₂ as a model photocatalyst, ultrathin TiO₂ nanosheets containing abundant Vo and appropriate Fe doping exhibited an unprecedented 134 times higher activity in the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) (rate as high as 0.3073 min⁻¹) than bulk anatase and were superior to most reported photocatalysts. The defect-rich ultrathin TiO₂ nanosheets could be further applied in high-efficiency degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) with the degradation rate of 0.0423 min⁻¹. The in situ electron paramagnetic resonance, advanced spectroscopic characterization and electrochemical measurement revealed the key role of Vo and Fe doping in facilitating the production of photo-generated holes and superoxide radicals (˙O₂⁻) that were identified to be effective to decompose both RhB and TC-HCl. This research provides insight into defect engineering promoting AOS generation and gives inspiration for the design of efficient photocatalysts for photooxidation applications.

Defect-rich ultrathin TiO₂ nanosheets with tunable Fe doping realize the efficient generation of active oxidative species for boosted dye/antibiotic photodegradation.

Ti-Based Oxide Anode Materials for Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage: Lithium/Sodium Ion Batteries and Hybrid Pseudocapacitors

Titanium-based oxides including TiO₂ and M-Ti-O compounds (M = Li, Nb, Na, etc.) family, exhibit advantageous structural dynamics (2D ion diffusion path, open and stable structure for ion accommodations) for practical applications in energy storage systems, such as lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and hybrid pseudocapacitors. Further, Ti-based oxides show high operating voltage relative to the deposition of alkali metal, ensuring full safety by avoiding the formation of lithium and sodium dendrites. On the other hand, high working potential prevents the decomposition of electrolyte, delivering excellent rate capability through the unique pseudocapacitive kinetics. Nevertheless, the intrinsic poor electrical conductivity and reaction dynamics limit further applications in energy storage devices. Recently, various work and in-depth understanding on the morphologies control, surface engineering, bulk-phase doping of Ti-based oxides, have been promoted to overcome these issues. Inspired by that, in this review, the authors summarize the fundamental issues, challenges and advances of Ti-based oxides in the applications of advanced electrochemical energy storage. Particularly, the authors focus on the progresses on the working mechanism and device applications from lithium-ion batteries to sodium-ion batteries, and then the hybrid pseudocapacitors. In addition, future perspectives for fundamental research and practical applications are discussed.

A uniform few-layered carbon coating derived from self-assembled carboxylate monolayers capable of promoting the rate properties and durability of commercial TiO2

The poor cyclability and rate property of commercial TiO₂ (c-TiO₂) hinder its utilization in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Coating carbon is one of the ways to ameliorate the electrochemical performance. However, how to effectively form a uniform thin carbon coating is still a challenge. On the basis of the strong interaction of the TiO₂ surface with carboxyl groups, herein a new tactic to achieve uniform and thin carbon layers on the c-TiO₂ particles was proposed. When mixing c-TiO₂ with citric acid containing carboxyl groups in deionized water, the high-affinity adsorption of TiO₂ for carboxyl groups resulted in self-assembled carboxylate monolayers on the surface of TiO₂ which evolved into a uniform few-layered amorphous carbon coating during carbonizing at 750 °C. The product derived from the mixture of c-TiO₂ and citric acid with a mass ratio of 1 : 0.3 exhibits the optimal performance, revealing a high specific capacity (256.6 mA h g⁻¹ after 50 cycles at 0.1 A g⁻¹) and outstanding cycling stability (retaining a capacity of 160.0 mA h g⁻¹ after 1000 cycles at 0.5 A g⁻¹). The greatly enhanced capacity and cyclability correlate with the uniform few-layered carbon coating which not only ameliorates the electronic conductivity of c-TiO₂ but also avoids the reduction in ionic conductivity caused by thick carbon layers and redundant carbon.

The uniform and thin carbon-coating formed on c-TiO₂ particles by virtue of the high-affinity adsorption of TiO₂ for carboxyl groups results in superior rate and cycling performance.

Ion-Exchange Loading Promoted Stability of Platinum Catalysts Supported on Layered Protonated Titanate-Derived Titania Nanoarrays

Supported metal catalysts are one of the major classes of heterogeneous catalysts, which demand good stability in both the supports and catalysts. Herein, layered protonated titanate-derived TiO₂ (LPT-TiO₂) nanowire arrays were synthesized to support platinum catalysts using different loading processes. The Pt ion-exchange loading on pristine LPTs followed by thermal annealing resulted in superior Pt catalysts supported on the LPT-TiO₂ nanoarrays with excellent hydrothermal stability and catalytic performance toward CO and NO oxidations as compared to the Pt catalysts through wet-impregnation on the anatase TiO₂ (ANT-TiO₂) nanoarrays resulted from thermal annealing of LPT nanoarrays. Both loading processes resulted in highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles (NPs) with average sizes smaller than 1 nm at their pristine states. However, after hydrothermal aging at 800 °C for 50 h, highly dispersed Pt NPs were only retained on the ion-exchanged LPT-TiO₂ nanoarrays with the support structure consisting of a mixture of 74% anatase and 26% rutile TiO₂. For the wet-impregnation loading directly on anatase TiO₂ nanoarrays derived from LPT, the Pt catalysts experienced severe agglomeration after hydrothermal aging, with the nanoarray supports consisting of 86% anatase and 14% rutile TiO₂. Spectroscopy analysis suggested that Pt²⁺ cations intercalated into the interlayers of the titanate frameworks through ion-exchange impregnation procedure, which altered the chemical and electronic structures of the catalysts, resulting in the shifts of the electronic binding energy, Raman bands, and optical energy bandgap. The ion-exchangeable nature of LPT nanoarrays clearly provides a structural modification in Pt-doped LPT that has resulted in a strong interaction between the Pt catalysts and LPT-TiO₂ nanoarray supports, leading to the enhanced hydrothermal stability of the catalysts. Considering the wide applications of the LPT and TiO₂ nanomaterials as supports for catalysts, this finding provides a new pathway to design highly stable supported metal catalysts for different reactions.

TiO2 nanotrees for the photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic phenol degradation

Constructing nanotrees is an effective method to enhance the photoelectrocatalytic efficiency of TiO₂ using single-crystalline trunks with an appropriate length.

Large-Scale Synthesis and Lithium Storage Performance of Multilayer TiO2 Nanobelts

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely investigated as the electrode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), due to its low cost, small volume expansion, and high environmental friendliness. However, the fading capacity and short cycle life during the cycling process lead to poor cycling performance. Herein, multilayer TiO2 nanobelts with a high specific surface area and with many pores between nanoparticles are constructed via a simple and large-scale approach. Benefiting from the multilayer nanobelt structure, as-prepared TiO2 nanobelts deliver a high reversible capacity, strong cycling stability, and ultra-long cycle life (~185mAhg−1 at 500mAg−1 after 500 cycles) as electrode materials for LIBs.

Direct Synthesis of Conformal Layered Protonated Titanate Nanoarray Coatings on Various Substrate Surfaces Boosted by Low-Temperature Microwave-Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis

Layered protonated titanates (LPTs) are promising support materials for catalytic applications because their high surface area and cation exchange capacity provide the possibility of achieving a high metal dispersion. However, the reported LPT nanomaterials are mainly limited to free-standing nanoparticles (NPs) and usually require high temperature and pressure conditions with extended reaction time. In this work, a high-throughput microwave-assisted hydrothermal method was developed for the direct synthesis of conformal LPT nanoarray coatings onto the three-dimensional honeycomb monoliths as well as other substrate surfaces at low temperature (75-95 °C) and pressure (1 atm). Using TiCl₃ as the titanium source, H₂O₂ as the oxidant, and hydrochloric acid as the pH controller, a peroxotitanium complex (PTC) was formed and identified to play an essential role for the formation of LPT nanoarrays. The gaseous O₂ released during the decomposition of PTC promotes the mass transfer of the precursors, making this method applicable to substrates with complex geometries. With the optimized conditions, a growth rate of 42 nm/min was achieved on cordierite monolith substrates. When loaded with Pt NPs, the LPT nanoarray-based monolithic catalysts showed excellent low-temperature catalytic activity for CO and hydrocarbon oxidation as well as satisfactory hydrothermal stability and mechanical robustness. The low temperature and pressure requirements of this facile hydrothermal method overcome the size- and pressure-seal restrictions of the reactors, making it feasible for scaled production of LPT nanoarray-based devices for various applications.

Sheet-on-belt branched TiO2(B)/rGO powders with enhanced photocatalytic activity

TiO2(B) is usually adopted to construct phase junctions with anatase TiO2 for applications in photocatalysis to facilitate charge separation; its intrinsic photocatalytic activity, especially when in the form of one- or three-dimensional nanostructures, has been rarely reported. In this study, a sheet-on-belt branched TiO2(B) powder was synthesized with the simultaneous incorporation of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The monophase, hierarchically nanostructured TiO2(B) exhibited a reaction rate constant 1.7 times that of TiO2(B)/rGO and 2.9 times that of pristine TiO2(B) nanobelts when utilized to assist the photodegradation of phenol in water under UV light illumination. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the significantly increased surface area and enhanced charge separation.

Titania nanowires functionalized polyester fabrics with enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial performances

Flexible organic fabrics coated with titania find wide applications in pollutant degradations and antibiosis. Because of the enhanced charge separations, TiO₂ with one-dimensional nanostructures exhibits photocatalytic activity superior to that of nanoparticulate films; however, only the later has been achieved on organic substrates through commonly sol-gel techniques till now. In this study, radially aligned TiO₂ nanowires were precipitated on polyester fabrics through multi-steps of surface roughening, sol-gel TiO₂ seeding, hydrogen titanate nanobelts precipitation, and finally sulfuric acid treatment. Both mesoporous anatase TiO₂ nanowires and single-crystalline rutile TiO₂ nanorods have been achieved, which, together with some unchanged titanate nanobelts, exhibited an overall narrowed band gap of ca. 2.50eV. The TiO₂ nanowires on flexible PET fabrics showed higher photocatalytic activity towards degradations of not only rhodamine B in water but also toluene gas in air under UV light illumination, when compared with either TiO₂ nanotube array or commercial Degussa P25 nanoparticulate films on metallic Ti substrates. Remarkable sterilization of E. coli and S. epidermidis under visible light irradiation was also achieved. The excellent photocatalytic and antibacterial performances were attributed to the unique mixed 1D nanostructures, phase junctions, abundant surface hydroxyl groups, and the narrowed band gap.

Analysis of the surface decoration of TiO2 grains using silver nanoparticles obtained by ultrasonochemical synthesis towards organic photovoltaics

The wet ultrasonochemical method was used to obtained TiO₂/n-Ag nanoparticles for polymer solar cells.

In Situ Fabrication of Hierarchically Branched TiO2 Nanostructures: Enhanced Performance in Photocatalytic H2 Evolution and Li-Ion Batteries

1D branched TiO₂ nanomaterials play a significant role in efficient photocatalysis and high-performance lithium ion batteries. In contrast to the typical methods which generally have to employ epitaxial growth, the direct in situ growth of hierarchically branched TiO₂ nanofibers by a combination of the electrospinning technique and the alkali-hydrothermal process is presented in this work. Such the branched nanofibers exhibit improvement in terms of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (0.41 mmol g^-1 h^-1 ), in comparison to the conventional TiO₂ nanofibers (0.11 mmol g^-1 h^-1 ) and P25 (0.082 mmol g^-1 h^-1 ). Furthermore, these nanofibers also deliver higher lithium specific capacity at different current densities, and the specific capacity at the rate of 2 C is as high as 201. 0 mAh g^-1 , roughly two times higher than that of the pristine TiO₂ nanofibers.

Balsam-pear-like rutile/anatase core/shell titania nanorod arrays for photoelectrochemical water splitting

In this work, a solution combustion followed by dissolution in hydrogen peroxide is adopted to achieve a precursor for decorating anatase TiO₂ nanosheets along single-crystalline rutile TiO₂ nanorods, which achieves balsam-pear-like core/shell nanorod arrays with enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting. The enhanced photoelectrochemical performance is attributed to the novel nanoarchitecture, which can simultaneously offer a high surface area, enhanced light-harvesting, a rutile/anatase junction for charge carrier separation and a conductive pathway for charge carrier collection. The photoanode design can also give hints to other functional materials.

TiO₂ Nanobelt@Co₉S₈ Composites as Promising Anode Materials for Lithium and Sodium Ion Batteries

TiO₂ anodes have attracted great attention due to their good cycling stability for lithium ion batteries and sodium ion batteries (LIBs and SIBs). Unfortunately, the low specific capacity and poor conductivity limit their practical application. The mixed phase TiO₂ nanobelt (anatase and TiO₂-B) based Co₉S₈ composites have been synthesized via the solvothermal reaction and subsequent calcination. During the formation process of hierarchical composites, glucose between TiO₂ nanobelts and Co₉S₈ serves as a linker to increase the nucleation and growth of sulfides on the surface of TiO₂ nanobelts. As anode materials for LIBs and SIBs, the composites combine the advantages of TiO₂ nanobelts with those of Co₉S₈ nanomaterials. The reversible specific capacity of TiO₂ nanobelt@Co₉S₈ composites is up to 889 and 387 mAh·g⁻¹ at 0.1 A·g⁻¹ after 100 cycles, respectively. The cooperation of excellent cycling stability of TiO₂ nanobelts and high capacities of Co₉S₈ nanoparticles leads to the good electrochemical performances of TiO₂ nanobelt@Co₉S₈ composites.

Tailored performance of layered transition metal dichalcogenides via integration with low dimensional nanostructures

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with a unique sandwich structure have attracted tremendous attention in recent years due to their distinctive electrical and optical properties.

Solution Combustion Synthesis of Nanoscale Materials

Solution combustion is an exciting phenomenon, which involves propagation of self-sustained exothermic reactions along an aqueous or sol-gel media. This process allows for the synthesis of a variety of nanoscale materials, including oxides, metals, alloys, and sulfides. This Review focuses on the analysis of new approaches and results in the field of solution combustion synthesis (SCS) obtained during recent years. Thermodynamics and kinetics of reactive solutions used in different chemical routes are considered, and the role of process parameters is discussed, emphasizing the chemical mechanisms that are responsible for rapid self-sustained combustion reactions. The basic principles for controlling the composition, structure, and nanostructure of SCS products, and routes to regulate the size and morphology of the nanoscale materials are also reviewed. Recently developed systems that lead to the formation of novel materials and unique structures (e.g., thin films and two-dimensional crystals) with unusual properties are outlined. To demonstrate the versatility of the approach, several application categories of SCS produced materials, such as for energy conversion and storage, optical devices, catalysts, and various important nanoceramics (e.g., bio-, electro-, magnetic), are discussed.

Highly Ordered TiO2 Microcones with High Rate Performance for Enhanced Lithium-Ion Storage

The perpendicularly oriented anatase TiO2 microcones for Li-ion battery application were synthesized via anodization of a Ti foil in aqueous HF + H3PO4 solution. The TiO2 microcones exhibited a high active surface area with a hollow core depending on applied voltage and reaction time, confirmed by SEM, XRD and TEM with EDS mapping. Li insertion/desertion into TiO2 microcones was evaluated for the first time in half-cell configuration in terms of various current density and long-term cyclability. The electrochemical experiments demonstrated that the as-prepared TiO2 microcones as anode material exhibited 3 times higher capacity as compared with TiO2 nanotubular structures, excellent rate performance (0.054 mAhcm(-2) even at 50 C) and reliable capacity retention during 500 cycles, which was attributed to facile diffusion of Li-ions induced in hollow anatase TiO2 microcones structure with multilayered nanofragment.

Ni-doped rutile TiO2 nanoflowers: low-temperature solution synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic efficiency

A facile solution approach was developed to synthesize micrometre-sized aggregates of Ni-doped TiO₂ nanoflowers, which exhibited a rate constant four times that of commercial Degussa P25 TiO₂ nanoparticles under the UV + Vis illumination.

One-pot low-temperature synthesis of TiO2 nanowire/rGO composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

In situ growth of TiO₂ nanowires on graphene oxide was achieved at 80 °C in an open atmosphere. The optimized TiO₂/rGO hybrid exhibited a reaction rate constant 5.5 times that of TiO₂ nanowires towards photodegradations of rhodamine B in water under the UV light illumination.

Growth of nickel silicate nanoplates on reduced graphene oxide as layered nanocomposites for highly reversible lithium storage

The combination of active materials with electrically conductive carbon materials and their contact efficiency are crucial for improving the electrochemical performances of active materials. Here, nickel silicate (NiSiOx) nanoplates are planted in situ on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets to form a two dimensional face-to-face nanocomposite of NiSiOx/RGO for lithium storage. The face-to-face structure enhances the contact efficiency of NiSiOx with RGO, and thus leads to a higher reversible capacity and better rate performance of the NiSiOx/RGO nanocomposite than both carbon nanotube (CNT)@NiSiOx nanocables and NiSiOx. The layered NiSiOx/RGO nanocomposite exhibits a high reversible specific capacity of 797 mA h g(-1), which is 62% and 806% higher than those of CNT@NiSiOx nanocables and NiSiOx alone, respectively.