One-step facile synthesis of TiO2/Fe2O3 fiber-in-tube hierarchical heterostructures with improved lithium-ion battery performance

Abstract

We demonstrate a simple, efficient, yet versatile strategy for the synthesis of novel TiO₂/Fe₂O₃ fiber-in-tube hierarchical heterostructures by using a simple electrospinning technique and subsequent annealing. The mechanism for the formation of these controllable structures is investigated. When tested as the anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the TiO₂/Fe₂O₃ fiber-in-tube hierarchical heterostructures not only deliver a high reversible capacity of 987.2 mA h g⁻¹, which is almost quadruple that of the pure TiO₂ nanofibers, and 65.1% capacity retention over 240 cycles, but also show excellent rate capability due to the synergetic effect between Fe₂O₃ and TiO₂ as well as the unique features.