Ultrafast Lithium-Ion Batteries with Long-Term Cycling Performance Based on Titanium Carbide/3D Interconnected Porous Carbon

Carbon-based materials are a new class of highly conductive materials that have shown cutting-edge performance in energy storage. However, the lack of a rational design for three-dimensional (3D) structures continues to limit its performance in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, we report a 3D layered titanium carbide (TiC) prepared by a facile one-pot carbonization treatment. This as-prepared TiC anode has unique continuous 3D architecture, embedded with nanodots and surface oxygenated defects that can provide fast electron and ionic transportation, as well as multiple electrochemical sites for the intercalation/deintercalation of lithium ions in LIBs, resulting in fast rate capability and excellent cycle life of LIBs, for instance, the LIBs consisting of 3D TiC exhibits a specific capacity of 225 mAh g(-1) at 10 A g(-1) after 10,000 cycles with a capacity retention of 95%. Our findings reinvent carbon-based materials, specifically TiC, as promising anode materials for LIBs.