Amorphous carbon-coated TiO₂ nanocrystals for improved lithium-ion battery and photocatalytic performance

10-time lithium rate improvement and 4-time photocatalytic performance enhancement have been achieved with TiO₂ nanocrystals when coated with a thin layer of amorphous carbon. The enhanced performances can be attributed to lower lithium ion diffusion and electronic conduction resistance across the carbon layer into the TiO₂ electrode material and better surface adsorption of the dye molecules and ions. Thus, the current study may provide us an alternative approach in improving the performances of TiO₂ nanocrystals in both lithium ion battery and photocatalysis applications.