TiNb 2 O 7 microspheres are prepared via a microwave-assisted solvothermal method. The microwave irradiation lowers the compound formation temperature to 600 • C, and highly crystalline TiNb 2 O 7 powders are obtained upon calcination at 800 • C. Morphological analysis of the sample shows uniformly distributed microspheres with a particle size of around 1 μm. The Li + -ion diffusion coefficient calculated from the electrochemical impedance result is around 1.21 × 10 −13 cm 2 s −1 , which is 1.5 times higher than the sample obtained from the conventional solvothermal method. The TiNb 2 O 7 sample derived from microwave yields a high discharge capacity of 299 mA h g −1 at 0.1 C, whereas the sample synthesized via the conventional solvothermal process yields only 278 mA h g −1 at 0.1 C. Excellent rate capabilities such as 220 mA h g −1 at 5 C and 180 mA h g −1 at 10 C are also observed for the microwave-assisted solvothermal sample. Moreover, the sample exhibits a large capacity retention of 95.5% after 100 discharge-charge cycles at 5 C. These results reveal the appropriateness of the microwave-assisted solvothermal process to prepare TiNb 2 O 7 powders with superior properties for battery applications.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.