The influence of the TiO2 particle size on the properties of Li4Ti5O12 anode material for lithium-ion battery

The spinel Li4Ti5O12 anode materials were prepared using high-energy ball milling assisted solid-state reaction method. In order to obtain the electrode materials with the best electrochemical performance, the influence of different TiO2 particle sizes for Li4Ti5O12 synthesis was systematically studied. The physical and electrochemical properties of the obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis, A.C. impedance, galvanostatic charge–discharge and cyclic voltammetry tests. The results showed that the initial particle size of TiO2 played an important role on the properties of Li4Ti5O12. It could affect the final grain size, the specific surface area, the electrochemical properties and the Li-ion diffusion coefficient of Li4Ti5O12. Electrochemical testing results showed that the Li4Ti5O12 prepared by TiO2 with particle size of 25 nm exhibited the best electrochemical properties. The discharge capacity reached 164.7 mAh/g at 0.5 C. When the current rate was increased to 10 C, the first discharge capacity was only dropped to 70.6 mAh/g, and the capacity retention was 94.5% at the 50th cycle.