Electrospinning preparation and electrochemical properties of Lu2Ti2O7 nanowires, nanotubes and wire-in-tube architectures for their potential lithium-ion battery applications

Lu2Ti2O7 nanowires, nanotubes, and wire-in-tube architectures were prepared by a simple single-needle electrospinning technique though controlling the environmental humidity. At an atmospheric humidity of 20%, Lu2Ti2O7 nanowires were formed with diameters of about 150 nm. At 40% atmospheric humidity, Lu2Ti2O7 nanotubes and wire-in-tube architectures were obtained. The Lu2Ti2O7 nanotubes have an outer diameter ranging from 80 nm to 200 nm and a wall thickness ranging from 10 to 15 nm. The outer diameter, outer wall thickness, and the embedded wire diameter of the Lu2Ti2O7 wire-in-tube architectures are 100–120, 10–15, and 10–15 nm, respectively. The Lu2Ti2O7 nanotubes and wire-in-tube architectures retain a specific capacity of 167.35 mAh·g−1, while Lu2Ti2O7 nanowires retain that of 143.45 mAh·g−1 at current density of 100 mA·g−1 after 50 charge-discharge cycles as anode materials of a lithium-ion battery. The Lu2Ti2O7 nanotubes and wire-in-tube architectures demonstrate better cycle stability and rate performance than Lu2Ti2O7 nanowires.