Hierarchically branched TiO 2 @SnO 2 nanofibers as high performance anodes for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract Hierarchically heterostructured TiO 2 @SnO 2 core-branch nanofibers are synthesized by a facile method using electrospinning followed by a hydrothermal treatment. By carefully controlling the TiO 2 content in the composite, a hierarchical heterostructure featuring uniform growth of rutile SnO 2 nanocubes on the surface of anatase TiO 2 nanofibers can be obtained. The hierarchically branched TiO 2 @SnO 2 nanofibers combine both advantages of SnO 2 with large specific capacity and TiO 2 with outstanding structural stability. The TiO 2 content plays an important role in determining both the morphology and electrochemical performance of the composite. It is found that the TiO 2 @SnO 2 nanofibers with 30 wt% TiO 2 exhibit both large specific capacity and good cycling stability, making them promising as anodes for high performance lithium-ion batteries.