Pringle-Shaped Mesoporous Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/C Composite with Enhanced Rate Performance for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Spinel lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12, LTO) is a stable anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).
• LTO's performance is limited by poor electronic conductivity and slow ion diffusion kinetics, hindering high-rate applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel pringle-shaped lithium titanate/carbon (LTO/C) composite anode material.
• To enhance the electrochemical performance of LTO for high-rate and long-cycle-life LIBs.

Main Methods:

• Facile hydrothermal-calcination synthesis using sucrose as a carbon source.
• Characterization of pringle-shaped LTO nanoparticles (15 nm) with uniform carbon cladding.
• Electrochemical testing to evaluate rate capability and cycling stability.

Main Results:

• The LTO/C composite exhibited improved electronic conductivity due to carbon coating.
• Shortened lithium-ion diffusion distances were achieved with nanosized LTO particles.
• LTO/C-6.31 wt% delivered 145.5 mAh g-1 at 20 C over 1000 cycles with 93.93% capacity retention.

Conclusions:

• The synergistic effect of mesoporous LTO nanosheets and carbon coating significantly enhances battery performance.
• This synthesis route is effective for developing high-rate and long-cycle-life anode materials for LIBs.
• The developed LTO/C composite shows promise for next-generation energy storage devices.