Porous TiO₂ nanobelts coated with mixed transition-metal oxides Sn₃O₄ nanosheets core-shell composites as high-performance anode materials of lithium ion batteries

A novel type of porous TiO₂ nanobelts anchored with Sn₃O₄ nanosheets (TiO₂ nanobelts @Sn₃O₄ nanosheets) core-shell composites were developed via two-step hydrothermal methods. The structure, morphology, formation mechanism and electrochemical performance of the porous TiO₂ nanobelts coated with mixed transition-metal oxides Sn₃O₄ nanosheets core-shell composites were researched. The results illustrated that the Sn₃O₄ nanosheets were uniformly anchored on the surface of the porous TiO₂ nanobelts, which were almost perpendicular to the porous TiO₂ nanobelts. The composites as anode materials exhibited more remarkable electrochemical performances than the Sn₃O₄ nanosheet and the porous TiO₂ nanobelts, in terms of the cycling performance and rate capability. The initial discharge capacity was 1513.7 mAh/g and the reversible capacity was 659 mAh/g after 50 cycles. This study perhaps inspired the designing of other transition metal oxide-based anode materials with desirable electrochemical performance for applications of lithium ion batteries.