Sol-Gel Synthesis and in Situ X-ray Diffraction Study of Li₃Nd₃W₂O₁₂ as a Lithium Container

In this work, garnet-framework Li₃Nd₃W₂O₁₂ as a novel insertion-type anode material has been prepared via a facile sol-gel method and examined as a lithium container for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Li₃Nd₃W₂O₁₂ shows a charge capacity of 225 mA h g^-1 at 50 mA g^-1, and with the current density increasing up to 500 mA g^-1, the charge capacity can still be maintained at 186 mA h g^-1. After cycling at 500 mA g^-1 for 500 cycles, Li₃Nd₃W₂O₁₂ retains about 85% of its first charge capacity changed from 190.2 to 161 mA h g^-1. Furthermore, in situ X-ray diffraction technique is adopted for the understanding of the insertion/extraction mechanism of Li₃Nd₃W₂O₁₂. The full-cell configuration LiFePO₄/Li₃Nd₃W₂O₁₂ is also assembled to evaluate the potential of Li₃Nd₃W₂O₁₂ for practical application. These results show that Li₃Nd₃W₂O₁₂ is such a promising anode material for LIBs with excellent electrochemical performance and stable structure.