Titanium dioxide is an attractive anode material for lithium-ion batteries because it is thermally and chemically stable as well as cheap. However, a disadvantage for its use centers on the transport problem in bulk materials caused by limited electronic conductivity.

Limin Zhou and co-workers, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, have overcome this limitation and improved the rate performance of TiO₂ nanotubes by annealing the arrays in a reducing atmosphere (5 % H₂ and 95 % Ar). This simple approach transforms the whole TiO₂ nanotube layer into a highly conductive n-type semiconductor (see figure).

Furthermore, the high-rate capability of rutile TiO₂ nanowire arrays and anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles can also be considerably improved by similar means.

• Hydrogenated TiO₂ Nanotube Arrays as High-Rate Anodes for Lithium-Ion Microbatteries,
  Zhouguang Lu, Cho-Tong Yip, Liping Wang, Haitao Huang, Limin Zhou,
  ChemPlusChem 2012.
  DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201200104

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