Green energy storage materials: Nanostructured TiO₂ and Sn-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries

It is expected that the market dominance of lithium-ion batteries will continue for at least another decade as there are currently no competing alternatives with the versatility of lithium-ion batteries for powering mobile and portable devices; and for buffering the fluctuating supply of intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar. While the pursuit of higher energy density and higher power density materials constitute the bulk of current interest, there is increasing interest in durable active battery materials that can be produced with minimum environmental impact. It is with these considerations that TiO₂- and Sn-based anode materials are most interesting candidates for fulfilling future green energy storage materials. This review will focus on the recent developments of nanostructured TiO₂ and Sn-based anode materials, including rutile, anatase, TiO₂ (B), and coated TiO₂, and pristine SnO₂, and SnO₂/C, Sn(M)/C composites.