Realizing High-Performance Lithium Storage by Fabricating FeTiO₃ Nanoparticle-Impregnated Multichannel Carbon...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Developing advanced electrode materials is crucial for enhancing lithium-ion battery performance.
• Ilmenite (FeTiO3) is a promising anode material, but its practical application is limited by low conductivity and poor structural stability.
• Porous carbon nanofibers offer a conductive and stable scaffold for active materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a flexible, free-standing electrode using ilmenite nanoparticles embedded in N-doped carbon nanofibers (NF-FTO).
• To investigate the electrochemical properties and reaction mechanism of the NF-FTO electrode for lithium-ion battery applications.
• To evaluate the performance of a full cell utilizing the developed electrode.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning was employed to synthesize the NF-FTO film.
• Electrochemical testing, including charge-discharge cycling and rate capability tests, was performed.
• Ex situ X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to analyze the reaction mechanism.

Main Results:

• The NF-FTO electrode exhibited high initial charge capacity (718.5 mAh g⁻¹ at 50 mA g⁻¹).
• Excellent rate performance was achieved (410.4 mAh g⁻¹ at 3 A g⁻¹), with no capacity decay after 1500 cycles at 3 A g⁻¹.
• A LiFePO4/NF-FTO full cell showed a high initial discharge capacity of 521 mAh g⁻¹ and superb rate performance.

Conclusions:

• The NF-FTO electrode demonstrates superior electrochemical performance, attributed to the conductive N-doped carbon matrix and porous multichannel structure.
• The electrode material undergoes a reversible conversion reaction mechanism.
• The developed self-supporting electrode is a promising candidate for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.