# The Effect of TiO2 on the Electrochemical Performance of Sb2O3 Anodes for Li-Ion Batteries
## 4 Conclusions  
In summary, TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) nanocomposites and TiO\({}_{2}\)@Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) composites with different (TiO\({}_{2}\): Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\)) ratios of 0:1, 1:1, 1:4 and 3:1 were synthesized by the hydrolysis of TiCl4 and subsequent hydrothermal treatment at 175 \({}^{\circ}\)C and then used as anodes for LIBs. The (3:1) TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) nanocomposite electrode outperformed all the electrodes synthesized in this work by delivering excellent cycling stability and rate capability. The addition of the synthesized TiO\({}_{2}\) to Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) resulted in reduced volume change of the TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) composite electrode and hence improved its electrochemical performance and rate capability. The (3:1) TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) composite electrode delivered a capacity of 536 mAh g\({}^{-1}\) after 100 cycles at 100 mA g\({}^{-1}\) and exhibited great rate performance at different current densities. Halfway through its cycle-life, the (3:1) TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) anode showed an overall loss of 2.9% compared to its final cycle. It was distinguished that as the ratio of TiO\({}_{2}\) was increased in the nanocomposite system, the electrochemical performance of the TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) electrode became more stable while still inhibiting antimony's high capacity. This improved performance is attributed to the dispersion of TiO\({}_{2}\), which acts as a buffer to mitigate the volume change of the electrode material while maintaining the integrity of its charge/discharge cycles. The XRD and XPS data showed that the TiO\({}_{2}\) was in its respective rutile phase and resembled what is observed in the literature. Furthermore, the EDS mappings showed that the chemical makeup of the synthesized anode material was near its intended ratio of 3:1. The synthesized TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) nanocomposite can be considered as a promising candidate for electrode materials of the next generation of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries due to its excellent capacity retention and cyclability, all through a simple approach. The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app14156598/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app14156598/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app14156598/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app14156598/s1)), Figure S1: Cycle voltammetry of TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) composite with 1:1 ratio; Figure S2: Cycle voltammetry of TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) composite with 1:4 ratio. Figure S3: Charge/discharge curves after100 cycles at 100 mAg\({}^{-1}\) and cycling performance (B) of (1:1) TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) composite electrode. Figure S4: Charge/discharge curves after 100 cycles at 100 mAg\({}^{-1}\) and cycling performance (B) of (1:4) TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) composite electrode. Figure S5: XRD patterns collected for the (A) TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) 1:4, (B) TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) 1:1 and (C) TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) 3:1. Figure S6: EDS spectrum for Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) (A), TiO\({}_{2}\) (B) and (3:1) TiO\({}_{2}\)/Sb\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\) (C). Conceptualization, M.A. ; Methodology, K.G., J.G.P. and M.A. ; Formal Analysis, K.G., J.G.P., E.F. and M.A. ; Investigation, K.G. and M.A. ; Resources, J.G.P. and M.A. ; Data Curation, J.G.P. and M.A. ; Writing--Original Draft Preparation, K.G. ; Writing--Review & Editing, J.G.P. and M.A. ; Supervision, J.G.P. and M.A. ; Project Administration, M.A. ; Funding Acquisition, J.G.P. and M.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. [PERSON] acknowledges funding from NSF PREM (DMR-2122178), Partnership for Fostering Innovation by Bridging Excellence in Research and Student Success. [PERSON] also acknowledges the funding from the [PERSON], [PERSON]. Endowed Chair in Engineering endowment at UTRGV.