Structural and electrochemical characteristics of hierarchical Li4Ti5O12 as high-rate anode material for lithium-ion batteries

The use of Li4Ti5O12, which is a zero-strain material, as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries is hampered by its low electronic conductivity and low lithium-ion diffusion coefficient. In this study, we design a hierarchically structured Li4Ti5O12 material with a conductive carbon coating to improve the material's electrochemical properties. Hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide is used as a structure-guiding agent and as a carbon source together with glucose. The discharge specific capacities of the obtained materials are 170.37, 167.34, 163.05, 158.03, and 151.49 mA h g(-1) at rates of 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 C, respectively. Even at a high rate, namely 25 C, for 500 cycles, a discharge specific capacity of 144.05 mA h g(-1) with 96.3% capacity retention is achieved. We believe that hierarchical Li4Ti5O12 materials with a carbon coating have potential applications as anode materials for the future development of lithium-ion batteries. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.