Solid State Ionics, Vol.320, 64-69, 2018
TiO2/CNT nanocomposite as an improved anode material for aqueous rechargeable aluminum batteries
Quest for inexpensive, high capacity and sustainable energy storage systems (ESS) is a key objective of the scientific society. Recently, rechargeable aluminum batteries (RABs) have evolved as one of the most promising ESS owing to their high theoretical capacity (8046 mAh g(-1)), low cost and safe nature of aluminum. However, utilization of expensive and highly corrosive ionic liquid electrolytes and their monovalent intercalation chemistry limit the wide acceptance of this very promising ESS. In this report, an economical and aqueous electrolyte based RAB is proposed with a nanocomposite TiO2/CNT anode material. The as-synthesized nano composite anode material is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). When tested as anode materials for RABs it demonstrated a superior electrochemical performance to TiO2 nanoparticles with a high discharge capacity of 225.5 mAh g(-1) at 0.15 degrees C and an excellent rate performance with a discharge capacity of 135 mAh g(-1) at an extremely high C-rate of 6 degrees C.