Lysozyme-Templated Meso-Macroporous Hollow TiO₂ for Lithium Ion Battery Anode

The use of biomolecules as templates for biomineralization is widely viewed as a favorable green synthesis route to produce particles of tailored properties. To synthesize TiO₂ particles suitable for lithium ion battery (LIB) anodes, four different types of biotemplates (i.e., native and denatured lysozyme with or without phosphate) were used to direct TiO₂ biomineralization. The different size, morphology, and rigidity of the deliberately designed biotemplates enabled the controlled mineralization of TiO₂ particles of versatile morphology, particle/grain/pore size, crystallinity, surface area, and specific pore volume. This rendered differential electrochemical characteristics and potential of the biomineralized TiO₂ as LIB anode. In particular, meso-macroporous hollow spherical TiO₂ (biomineralized using denatured lysozyme in the presence of phosphate ions, followed by calcination at 500 °C) shows great potential to be used as an LIB anode for high-power application with its average specific capacity of 103 mA h g^-1 at a C-rate of 40 C over 400 cycles.