Synthetic preparation of novel 3D Si/TiO sub(2)-Ti sub(2)O sub(3) composite nanorod arrays as anodes in lithium ion batteries

A three dimensional (3D) Si/TiO sub(2)-Ti sub(2)O sub(3) composite has been synthetically prepared on micro-fabricated Si nanorod arrays (NRs) by a solvothermal method. Improved electrochemical performances were achieved with this composite as the anode in lithium ion batteries compared to the individual Si NRs electrode, which benefited from the volume alleviating effect in the TiO sub(2) thin sheath and better conductivity in Ti sub(2)O sub(3) grains. This novel nanostructured composite presents great potential in applications in micro/nano-electro-mechanic systems (M/NEMS), photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices.