Enhanced Rate Capability Of Li4ti5o12 Anode Material By A Photo-Assisted Sol-Gel Route For Lithium-Ion Batteries

Photo-assisted sol-gel route was developed to prepare nanostructured Li4Ti5O12 anode materials. Resulting Li4Ti5O12 powders were characterized by phase analysis, microscopic morphology observation, and cyclic charge/discharge tests. As lithium-ion battery electrode, synthesized Li4Ti5O12 material by using the photo-assisted sol-gel route shows specific capacity of 120 mAh g(-1) at 10C discharge rate. Furthermore, this material retains 98% of its initial specific capacity at 0.2C after 50 charge/discharge measurements. Outstanding rate capability and cycling stability of this Li4Ti5O12 material are mainly derived from grain refinement induced by ultraviolet photo-irradiation. Therefore, this photo-assisted sol-gel route is attractive alternative method for preparing electrode materials for high-power lithium-ion battery applications.