Depositing natural stibnite on 3D TiO_(2) nanotube array networks as high-performance thin-film anode for lithium-ion batteries

Three-dimensional(3D) thin-film electrodes are promising solution to the volume change of active materials in lithium-ion batteries.As a conductive current collector,the 3D TiO_(2) nanotube array networks(TNAs) have a one-dimensional stable electronic conductive path and increase the adhesion between the current collector and raw material,thereby improving the cycle stability of active materials.In this study,a novel 3D-TNAs@Sb_(2)S_(3) anode was fabricated by directly depositing natural stibnite onto3D TNAs.The adhesion of Sb_(2)S_(3) particles to the substrate was enhanced due to the large surface area provided by 3D-TNAs.Moreover,the porous layered structure composed of Sb_(2)S_(3) nanoparticles relieved the stress generated during lithiation and adapted to the volume change of Sb_(2)S_(3) during cycling.Therefore,the resulting composite anode exhibits high cycle and rate performance,reaching0.36 mAh·cm^(-2) after 80 cycles at the galvanostatic rate of1 mA·cm^(-2),with high coulombic efficiency of 98%.