Abstract
Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) electrochemically coated with TiO2 nanocrystals prepared by electrolytic oxidation. Characterization by Raman spectroscopy, TEM, SEM.
Li+ insertion study. / Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) in the form of a buckypaper have been coated electrochemically with TiO2 anatase nanocrystals from aqueous solution of TiCl3. Raman measurements of the SWCNT-TiO2 heterostructure were carried out using 2.54, 2.41 and 1.91 eV laser excitation energies, and they have indicated changes of the vibrational modes of anatase and SWCNT.
The high resolution transmission microscopy (HRTEM) observation accompanied by selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis showed that SWCNT bundles are covered with anatase nano-crystals of approximate size of 8 nm. Possible application of the SWCNT-TiO2 heterostructure has been demonstrated by electrochemical Li+ insertion into TiO2 (anatase) lattice to form LixTiO2, where x = 0.42 and Li+ (corresponding to charge capacity of 507 Cg-1) with 0.98 insertion/extraction charge ratio.