Facile preparation of hybrid anatase/rutile TiO₂ nanorods with exposed (010) facets for lithium ion batteries

The hybrid anatase/rutile TiO₂ hierarchical nanorods (ARTHNs) with exposed specific faces have been facilely synthesized by one-step hydrothermal reaction. Powder X-ray diffraction and Raman studies confirm the mixed bicrystalline phase of anatase and rutile in ARTHNs. Scanning electron microscopy clearly shows the morphologies of ARTHNs were hierarchical nanorods with lengths of about 2-5 μm and diameters of around 300 nm, and transmission electron microscopy analysis further indicate that ARTHNs are composed of central rutile nanorods and external anatase nanosheets with both of exposed (010) facets. Due to the exposed (010) facets in hybrid phase of ARTHNs, they exhibit a higher lithium storage performance than the commercial analogue P25.