Nickel‐Assisted Graphitization of Bimetallic ZIF‐Derived N‐Doped Carbon/Glucose Dual Coatings on TiO ₂ Hollow Spheres for High‐Rate Lithium‐Ion Storage

Overcoming the slow reaction rate of TiO ₂ anodes is crucial for achieving high‐rate lithium storage. In this study, we designed a hollow TiO ₂ spherical anode with dual‐carbon coating and Ni doping to address the low electrical conductivity and slow Li ⁺ diffusion of TiO ₂ . Ultrathin titanate nanosheets were assembled onto a polymer template, coated with a bimetallic Zn/Ni zeolitic imidazolate framework and glucose, and then pyrolyzed to obtain TiO ₂ /ZnNi–NC/C hollow spheres. This structure features a grain boundary‐rich mixed‐phase TiO ₂ framework, with an inner (N‐doped) and an outer (glucose‐derived) carbon layer. Ni incorporation is associated with increased carbon ordering, consistent with a proposed role in improving electronic connectivity within the carbon framework. The TiO ₂ /ZnNi–NC/C‐HS material exhibits high reversible capacity and excellent rate performance, maintaining a higher capacity than TiO ₂ ‐HS at 1 A g ⁻¹ and exhibiting a capacity retention of >99% over 1000 cycles. Control experiments confirmed that both nickel doping and the double carbon layer play important roles in the performance enhancement, and their synergistic effect enables fast and stable lithium storage within TiO ₂ . Hence, this study highlights the potential of combining MOF‐derived architectures with metal‐catalyzed carbon matrices to develop next‐generation lithium‐ion battery anodes that simultaneously deliver high capacity and high‐power performance.