Highly dispersed Ag nanoparticles (<10 nm) deposited on nanocrystalline Li4Ti5O12 demonstrating high-rate charge/discharge capability for lithium-ion battery

A Li4Ti5O12 (LTO)/Ag composite is prepared via a facile electroless deposition (ED) process, and the electrochemical performance is examined for lithium-ion battery application. The nanosized Ag particles (<10 nm) are well dispersed on the surface of the nanocrystalline LTO (∼90 nm). The LTO/Ag nanocomposite displays an excellent high-rate capacity of 131 mAh g−1 at 30 C within the voltage range of 1–2.5 V (versus Li+/Li). Furthermore, the nanocomposite also exhibits excellent cycle stability, retaining over 98% of its initial capacity after 120 charge/discharge cycles at varying rates.

► LTO/Ag composite is prepared via a facile electroless deposition (ED) process.
► The nanosized Ag particles (∼8 nm) are well dispersed in the nanocrystalline LTO (∼90 nm).
► This novel kind of LTO/Ag composite presents high-rate capacity of 131 mAh g−1 at 30 C.