TiO<inf>2</inf> nanoparticle embedded nitrogen doped electrospun helical carbon nanofiber-carbon nanotube hybrid anode for lithium-ion batteries

TiO2 nanoparticles decorated nitrogen (N) doped helical carbon nanofiber (CNF)-carbon nanotube (CNT) hybrid material is prepared by low-cost electrospinning technique followed by hydrothermal method. Morphological investigations establish helical structure of CNFs with hierarchical growth of CNTs around CNFs. The hybrid material shows a high specific surface area of 295.17 m2 g−1 with nanoporous structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies establish Ti–O–C/Ti–C bond mediated charge transfer channel between TiO2 nanoparticles and carbon structures with the success of N doping in CNFs. The electrospun hybrid material delivered high reversible charge capacities of 316 mAh g−1 (100th cycle) and 244 mAh g−1 (100th cycle) at a current density of 75 mA g−1 and 186 mA g−1 respectively. The charge capacities obtained for different applied current densities are higher than the conventional graphitic microporous microbeads anode. Results indicate that the hybrid material reported here shows high performance compare to graphite for LIBs.