Li₂TiO₃/Ni foam composite as high-performance electrode for energy storage and conversion

Li₂TiO₃/Ni foam composites were prepared by a solid-state reaction process. They crystallized in the monoclinic Li₂TiO₃ structure with C2/c space group. SEM images show that the Li₂TiO₃ particles are monodispersed crystallites of average size 49 nm, infused into porous scaffold Ni foam. As an anode in lithium battery, the composite delivered a discharge capacity of 153 mAh g^-1 in an aqueous electrolyte and retained 95% of its initial capacity after 30 cycles. Moreover, the Li₂TiO₃/Ni foam composite as a negative electrode of pseudo-supercapacitor delivered a specific capacitance of 593 F g^-1 and retained 95% of its initial capacitance after 1000 cycles. The enhanced capacity of Li₂TiO₃/Ni composite is due to porous scaffold Ni foam, which provides high conductivity to the Li₂TiO₃ particles and high effective surface area for redox reactions. The performance of the Li₂TiO₃/Ni foam as an electrode material for both lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and supercapacitors (SCs) shows that this composite is promising for energy storage devices.