Three-dimensional branched TiO2 architectures (3D BTA) with controllable morphologies were synthesized via a facile template-free one-pot solvothermal route. The volume ratio of deionized water (DI water) and diethylene glycol in solvothermal process is key to the formation of 3D BTA assembled by nanowire-coated TiO2 dendrites, which combines the advantages of 3D hierarchical structure and 1D nanoscale building blocks. Benefiting from such unique structural features, the BTA in full bloom achieved significantly increased specific surface areas and shortened Li(+) ion/electrons diffusion pathway. The lithium-ion batteries based on BTA in full bloom exhibited remarkably enhanced reversible specific capacity and rate performance, attributing to the high contact area with the electrolyte and the short solid state diffusion pathway for Li(+) ion/electrons promoting lithium insertion and extraction.

The direct utilization of metallic lithium and sodium as the anodes for rechargeable batteries would be highly advantageous, which has been considered as one of the most promising choices for next-generation high-energy-density storage devices. Although the induced safety concerns, inferior rate, and cycling performance severely hinder the commercialization of lithium metal batteries (LMBs) and sodium metal batteries (SMBs), the recent development of nanotechnology-based solutions really revives the lithium/sodium metal anodes for high-energy batteries. In this work, an ultrastable carbon textile (CT)-based host with excellent infiltration for both metallic Li and Na has been designed and exhibits more flat voltage profiles, lower stripping/plating overpotential, and better cycling stability both in symmetric cell and full cell configurations, even in additive-free carbonate-based electrolyte compared with pure Li/Na electrodes. The highly conductive and mechanically robust three-dimensional CTs not only offer a stable scaffold against hyperactive lithium and sodium but also enable uniform nucleation and growth during stripping/plating process, which effectively suppress the dendrite growth and stabilize the electrode dimension. This facile strategy provides new insights into the design of stable hosts with prestored alkali metal to address the multifaceted issues in LMBs and SMBs simultaneously.

This study demonstrates a robust and ultra-stable sodium infiltrated Fe2O3 coated carbon textile (SFCT) anode with excellent machinability. The obtained SFCT anode overcomes the disadvantage of Na electrodes, which is not easily processable, and exhibits more flat voltage profiles, lower stripping/plating overpotential, and better cycling stability in an additive-free carbonate-based electrolyte compared with bare Na electrodes.

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A facile strategy to achieve the controllable morphology transformation of TiO2 induced by the introduction of multi-walled carbon nanotubes has been demonstrated.