Review on titanium dioxide nanostructured electrode materials for high-performance lithium batteries

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries have been successfully employed as energy banks in various technological devices, but their performance and strength are unsatisfactory in most high-energy consuming applications. Additionally, uncontrollable lithium dendrite growth at the lithium negative electrode and the inferior shuttle effect often led to serious battery safety problems. As alternatives, lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries with higher theoretical specific capacities that could match high-consuming applications are under development. Contemplating the deployment of lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries for sustainable energy storage, practical and economical electrodes fabricated using catalytically active and earth abundant materials are crucial, in addition to the replacement of graphite, which leads to dendrite formation problems, causing explosions, amongst other safety problems. Nanostructured Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has gained considerable attention as electrode materials in lithium batteries, as well as to the existing and potential technological applications, as they are deemed safer than graphite as negative electrodes. Due to their potential, their application has been extended to positive electrodes in an effort to develop much safer batteries, with earth abundant anode ad cathode materials. To this end, this review comprehensively analyses the influence of TiO 2 nanostructure type, doping or integration with other materials to identify highly active and cyclable TiO 2 based nanomaterials for lithium batteries. The discussions on the prospects vital for improving TiO 2 nanostructured materials as anode and cathode active materials for lithium batteries are also highlighted. • A lot of work has been conducted in Lithium ion batteries in general including Li-S, Li-ion and Lithium air batteries. • Lithium-ion batteries have been successfully employed as energy banks in various technological devices. • Their performance and strength are unsatisfactory in most high-energy consuming applications. • Li-S and Li-air batteries with higher theoretical specific capacities could match high-consuming applications. • Nanostructured TiO 2 has gained considerable attention as electrode materials in lithium batteries. • This review discusses application of TiO 2 nanostructured materials as anode and cathode electrodes in Li batteries.