TiNb2O7 is
a Wadsley–Roth phase with
a crystallographic shear structure and is a promising candidate for
high-rate lithium ion energy storage. The fundamental aspects of the
lithium insertion mechanism and conduction in TiNb2O7, however, are not well-characterized. Herein, experimental
and computational insights are combined to understand the inherent
properties of bulk TiNb2O7. The results show
an increase in electronic conductivity of seven orders of magnitude
upon lithiation and indicate that electrons exhibit both localized
and delocalized character, with a maximum Curie constant and Li NMR
paramagnetic shift near a composition of Li0.60TiNb2O7. Square-planar or distorted-five-coordinate
lithium sites are calculated to invert between thermodynamic minima
or transition states. Lithium diffusion in the single-redox region
(i.e., x ≤ 3 in Li
x
TiNb2O7) is rapid with low activation
barriers from NMR and D
Li = 10–11 m2 s–1 at the temperature of the observed T
1 minima of 525–650 K for x ≥ 0.75. DFT calculations predict that ionic diffusion, like
electronic conduction, is anisotropic with activation barriers for
lithium hopping of 100–200 meV down the tunnels but ca. 700–1000
meV across the blocks. Lithium mobility is hindered in the multiredox
region (i.e., x > 3 in Li
x
TiNb2O7), related
to a transition
from interstitial-mediated to vacancy-mediated diffusion. Overall,
lithium insertion leads to effective n-type self-doping of TiNb2O7 and high-rate conduction, while ionic motion
is eventually hindered at high lithiation. Transition-state searching
with beyond Li chemistries (Na+, K+, Mg2+) in TiNb2O7 reveals high diffusion
barriers of 1–3 eV, indicating that this structure is specifically
suited to Li+ mobility.