La₂O₃-coated Li₂ZnTi₃O₈@C as a high performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

Li₂ZnTi₃O₈C@La₂O₃ (LZTO@C@La₂O₃) coated with composite protective layers is successfully fabricated via a facile solid-state route. The co-coating strategy greatly improves the electrochemical performance of LZTO. 89.8%, 77.2% and 76.7% of the discharge specific capacities for the 2nd cycle can be retained at the 200th cycle at 1, 2 and 3 A g^-1, respectively. At 4 and 5 A g^-1, 174.3 and 166.1 are still retained for the 100th cycle, respectively. Even at a high temperature of 55 °C, LZTO@C@La₂O₃ still has good cycling performance. The excellent electrochemical performance is due to the stable surface structure between LZTO and the electrolyte, a good conductive network, small particle size, and large specific surface area as well as pore volume.