Facile and controllable fabrication of three-dimensionally quasi-ordered macroporous TiO2 for high performance lithium-ion battery applications

Abstract

A facile and controllable strategy for preparing three-dimensionally quasi-ordered macroporous (3DOM) TiO₂ has been developed through in situ hydrolysis on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) gelated crystalline colloidal array (GCCA) photonic crystal films. The presence of PVA hydrogel in the PVA GCCA results in a non-close-packed structure and an increase in the hydrophilic character of the template, which contribute to a more uniform wetting of the template during the infiltration process. The resulting 3DOM TiO₂ as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) exhibits a high rate capability and excellent cycle performance. The method presented in this paper is versatile and can be expanded for preparing various quasi-order macroporous materials.