| Summary: | Recently, metal chalcogenides have received considerable attention as prospective anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) because of their high theoretical capacities based on their alloying or conversion reactions. Herein, we demonstrate a gallium(III) telluride (Ga<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>)-based ternary composite (Ga<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>–TiO<sub>2</sub>–C) synthesized via a simple high-energy ball mill as a great candidate SIB anode material for the first time. The electrochemical performance, as well as the phase transition mechanism of Ga<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> during sodiation/desodiation, is investigated. Furthermore, the effect of C content on the performance of Ga<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>–TiO<sub>2</sub>–C is studied using various electrochemical analyses. As a result, Ga<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>–TiO<sub>2</sub>–C with an optimum carbon content of 10% (Ga<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>–TiO<sub>2</sub>–C(10%)) exhibited a specific capacity of 437 mAh·g<sup>−1</sup> after 300 cycles at 100 mA·g<sup>−1</sup> and a high-rate capability (capacity retention of 96% at 10 A·g<sup>−1</sup> relative to 0.1 A·g<sup>−1</sup>). The good electrochemical properties of Ga<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>–TiO<sub>2</sub>–C(10%) benefited from the presence of the TiO<sub>2</sub>–C hybrid buffering matrix, which improved the mechanical integrity and electrical conductivity of the electrode. This research opens a new direction for the improvement of high-performance advanced SIB anodes with a simple synthesis process.
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