Efficient Lithium-Ion Storage by Hierarchical Core–Shell TiO2 Nanowires Decorated with MoO2 Quantum Dots Encapsulated in Carbon Nanosheets

Rational design and surface engineering are the key to synthesizing high-performance electrode materials for electrocatalysis and energy conversion and storage applications. Herein, a novel three-dimensional (3D) nanoarchitecture of TiO2 nanowires decorated with MoO2 quantum dots encapsulated in carbon nanosheets was successfully synthesized by a simple polymerization method. Such a hierarchical nanostructure can not only exhibit the synergistic effect of structural stability of a 1D TiO2 substrate and high capacity of 0D MoO2 quantum dots but also prevent the aggregation and oxidation of MoO2. As a result, the novel 0D-1D-2D composite illustrates an initial discharge capacity of 470 mAh g–1 at a high current density of 500 mA g–1, especially a capacity retention of about 83% after 450 cycles. The present work highlights the designing strategy of nanoarchitectures containing high capacity materials for enhancing electrochemical performance of Ti-based materials.