The synthesis and characterizations of Li4Ti5O12–CNTs anode material

An anode material with Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 nanocrystals entangled by carbon nanotubes is prepared by polymerization of titanium tetra-isopropoxide with ethylene glycol in the presentence of carbon nanotubes. The resulted polymer is hydrolyzed in LiOH/H 2 O solution, and then thermally decomposed to obtain the topic anode material. The characterizations show that the synthesis method yields a type of material that has both of high electronic conductivity and high lithium ion diffusion rate. The material has stable deep discharge capability (down to 0.01 V), high specific capacity (237 mAhg −1 at 0.30 Ag -1 ), and long cycling life time (254 mAhg −1 at 0.10 Ag -1 , more than 500 discharge/charge cycles). High specific capacities of 258 and 158 mAhg −1 are obtained at current densities of 0.10 and 3.00 Ag -1 , respectively. The deep discharge capability of the material offers an average voltage below 1.0 V (vs metal Li), which is lower than that of pristine Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (1.55 V).