Hydrothermal Synthesis of Titanate Nano-Structures for use as Anode Material in Sodium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been successful in a wide variety of applications from cell phones to electric cars, but concerns about scarcity and the price of lithium are steering research toward alternative materials for rechargeable batteries. Due to the abundance of sodium and its chemical and electrochemical similarities to lithium, sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) present one likely alternative to LIBs. Some challenges remain in the development of NIBs, especially in the development of suitable anode materials. As a highly stable, inexpensive, nontoxic, and abundant material, titania has gained attention for energy storage applications. This work studies titanate nano-structures created through hydrothermal treatment. Morphology, crystallinity, and electrochemical performance are analyzed as a function of treatment temperature and molarity. Samples are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the electrochemical performance is determined by cycling coin-type half-cells.