Phenol–formaldehyde resin-assisted synthesis of pure porous Li4Ti5O12 for rate capability improvement

Porous Li4Ti5O12 has been synthesized via a simple template method using phenol–formaldehyde resin as template. SEM, TEM, XRD, nitrogen adsorption, galvanostatic charge–discharge, and ac impedance tests are used to characterize the appearance, structure, and electrochemical performance of the samples. The micrometer-scale crystal particles exhibit rough surface, large specific surface area, porous structure, and superior electrochemical performance. The initial discharge specific capacity is 167 mAh g−1 under 0.2 C discharge rate, when the rate increases to 2.0 C, the capacity still retains to 112 mAh g−1, exhibiting excellent rate capability.

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► We synthesized a porous Li4Ti5O12 via a simple and cheap template method.
► He developed pores of the Li4Ti5O12 lead to high surface areas and ionic conductivity.
► The porous Li4Ti5O12 gets high discharge capacity and superior rate capability.