Porous anatase TiO2 constructed from a metal–organic framework for advanced lithium-ion battery anodes

Abstract

Porous anatase TiO₂ has been prepared, for the first time, through the calcination of a metal–organic framework (MOF) precursor under an air atmosphere at 380 °C. The resulting TiO₂ has shown moderate porosity with a BET surface area of 220 m² g⁻¹ attributed to the highly porous structure of the MIL-125(Ti) precursor. The porous anatase TiO₂ was examined as a lithium-ion battery anode, exhibiting high capacity retention and good rate capability. The porous structure of anatase TiO₂ enforces Li⁺ diffusion and helps to buffer the volumetric variation. It has shown reversible capacities of 166, 106 and 71 mA h g⁻¹ at 1 C, 5 C and 10 C charge/discharge rates, respectively, after 500 cycles.