Synthesis of TiO2@C nanospheres with excellent electrochemical properties

TiO2@C nanospheres are synthesized through annealing a mixture of tetrabutyl titanate and oleic acid, as the titanium and carbon source, respectively. The as-synthesized TiO2@C with higher carbon content presents a superior specific capacity (286.5 mA h g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1) after 200 cycles) and higher rate performance (148 mA h g(-1) at 500 mA g(-1)), when tested as the anode material for lithium ion batteries. The as-synthesized TiO2@C nanospheres are promising anode materials for next-generation LIBs.