Preparation and lithium intercalation behavior of TiO₂ in aqueous solutions

Highlights: • The poor crystalline anatase phase or amorphous TiO₂ was prepared by TiCl₄ hydrolysis under different pH conditions. • Phase transition behavior and lithium intercalation ability of the obtained TiO₂ were found to be related to TiO₂ property. • The results indicate that TiO₂ products obtained from TiCl₄ hydrolysis at lower pH are favorable for lithium intercalation. - Abstract: The low crystalline or amorphous TiO₂ was prepared by TiCl₄ hydrolysis in aqueous solutions under different pH conditions at 45 °C. The products obtained at lower pH (1.23–3.10) appear to be nano-sized particles with poor crystalline anatase structure and an uniform particle size distribution, while the product prepared at pH 4.10 presents in a poor crystalline anatase structure and the regular morphology starts to disappear, and the products obtained at higher pH (>6.00) are amorphous and irregular morphology. The hydrolysis products obtained at pH 2.60 and 8.80 were heat-treated at 300, 400, 600, 700 and 800 °C for 3 h, respectively, to figure out the phase transition. The differences in phase transition process were observed, which verified the properties difference. The lithium intercalation abilities of the obtained TiO₂ were studied. The results indicated that the TiO₂ obtained at lower pH are more favorable for lithium intercalation and are better precursors