High performance of salt-modified–lto anode in lifepo4 battery

Abstract

Highly crystalline “zero-strain” Li4 Ti5 O12 (LTO) has great potential as an alternative material for the anodes in a lithium ion battery. In this research, highly crystalline LTO with impressive electrochemical characteristics was synthesized via a salt-assisted solid-state reaction using TiO2, LiOH, and various amounts of NaCl as a salt additive. The LTO particles exhibited a cubic spinel structure with homogenous micron-sized particles. The highest initial specific discharge capacity of LTO was 141.04 mAh/g with 4 wt % NaCl addition, which was tested in a full-cell (LTO/LiFePO4 ) battery. The battery cell showed self-recovery ability during the cycling test at 10 C-rate, which can extend the cycle life of the cell. The salt-assisted process affected the crystallinity of the LTO particles, which has a favorable effect on its electrochemical performance as anodes.