Synthesis of LiTi2(PO4)3@carbon anode material with superior performance using β-cyclodextrin as carbon sources

In this work, NASICON-type (sodium superionic conductor) LiTi2(PO4)3 anode material was synthesized using sol–gel method, and carbon-coated using the carbonization of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). Several characterizing methods, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman analysis were used to study the physicochemical properties of the synthesized anode material. Based upon electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) tests, the electrochemical properties of the material were explored. The results showed that the carbon coating was capable of enhancing the electrochemical performance of LiTi2(PO4)3 material, whereas it did not affect the crystalline structure of LiTi2(PO4)3. The 3.13 wt% carbon-coated LiTi2(PO4)3 exhibited significantly enhanced electrochemical performance, especially the cycling and high-rate performance. Furthermore, the 3.13 wt% carbon-coated LiTi2(PO4)3 composite delivered the specific discharge capacities of 133.1, 125.6, 121.8, 118.7, 115.4, 106.7, and 90.5 mAh g−1 at the rates of 0.2 C, 0.5 C, 1 C, 2 C, 5 C, 10 C, and 20 C, respectively. Moreover, the specific discharge capacity remained stable at 90% after 50 cycles at the rate of 0.2 C. On the whole, the obtained results noticeably suggest that LiTi2(PO4)3@carbon material can be used as an anode with promising application potential for next-generation lithium-ion batteries.