Electrochemical performance of acicular Li4Ti5O12 anode material synthesized by ethanol-assisted hydrothermal method

Spinel Li4Ti5O12 material were prepared by ethanol-assisted hydrothermal method and sintered at different temperatures. It was found that all of the samples had cubic spinel structure without undesired impurities and the samples showed different morphology as the change of sintering temperature. The sample sintered 750 degrees C delivered a higher discharge capacity than the 700 and 800 degrees C - sample at all the tested C rates. At 10C charge-discharge rate, the obtained discharge capacity of the Li4Ti5O12 electrode sintered at 700 and 750 degrees C was about 45.7% and 63.7%, compared to that of a 0.1C rate, while the Li4Ti5O12 electrode sintered at 800 degrees C showed capacity retention of only 28.7% at the same C rate, which could be attributed the higher lithium diffusion coefficient and the lower impedance due to the shortened diffusion distance of lithium ions because of the shortening acicular particle.