A nanostructured Ni/T-Nb 2 O 5 @carbon nanofibers as a long-life anode material for lithium-ion batteries

In this work, nickel/T-Nb 2 O 5 nanoparticles encapsulated in mesoporous carbon nanofibers (denoted as Ni/T-Nb 2 O 5 @CNFs) are successfully prepared through a simple electrospinning route and succedent heating treatment. The presence of Ni in carbon nanofibers is beneficial for enhancing the electronic conductivity and the initial Coulombic efficiency. Ni/T-Nb 2 O 5 nanoparticles are homogeneously incorporated in carbon nanofibers to form a nanocomposite system, which provides effective buffering during the lithiation/delithiation process for cycling stability. The Ni/T-Nb 2 O 5 @CNFs show high surface area (26.321 m 2 ·g −1 ) and mesoporous microstructure, resulting in higher capacity and excellent rate performance. The Ni/T-Nb 2 O 5 @CNFs exhibit a remarkable capacity of 437 mAh·g −1 at a current density of 0.5 A·g −1 after 230 cycles and a capacity of 173 mAh·g −1 at a current density up to 10.0 A·g −1 after 1400 cycles. This work indicates that nickel/T-Nb 2 O 5 nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon nanofibers can be a promising candidate for anode material in high-power LIBs. Graphic abstract