Anomalous interfacial lithium storage in graphene/TiO2 for lithium ion batteries

Graphene/metal-oxide nanocomposites have been widely studied as anode materials for lithium ion batteries and exhibit much higher lithium storage capacity beyond their theoretical capacity through mechanisms that are still poorly understood. In this research, we present a comprehensive understanding in microscale of the discharge process of graphene/TiO2 containing surface, bulk, and interfacial lithium storage based on the first-principles total energy calculations. It is revealed that interfacial oxygen atoms play an important role on the interfacial lithium storage. The additional capacity originating from surface and interfacial lithium storage via an electrostatic capacitive mechanism contributes significantly to the electrode capacity. The research demonstrates that for nanocomposites used in energy storage materials, electrode and capacitor behavior could be optimized to develop high-performance electrode materials with the balance of storage capacity and rate.