Sol-gel synthesis and electrochemical performance of Li4Ti5O12/graphene composite anode for lithium-ion batteries

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/graphene composite was prepared by a facile sol-gel method. The lattice structure and morphology of the composite were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical performances of the electrodes have been investigated compared with the pristine Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ synthesized by a similar route. The Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/graphene composite presents a higher capacity and better cycling performance than Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ at the cutoff of 2.5-1.0 V, especially at high current rate. The excellent electrochemical performance of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/graphene electrode could be attributed to the improvement of electronic conductivity from the graphene sheets. When discharged to 0 V, the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/graphene composite exhibited a quite high capacity over 274 mAh g⁻¹ below 1.0 V, which was quite beneficial for not only the high energy density but also the safety characteristic of lithium-ion batteries.