Influence of various complex agents on electrochemical property of Li4Ti5O12 anode material

Anode material spinel Li4Ti5O12 for lithium-ion batteries has been synthesized by sol–gel method with different complex agents. The precursors involved four complex agents such as acetic acid (AA), citric acid (CA), oxalic acid (OA) and triethanolamine (TEA). The as-prepared samples have been characterized by means of thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The electrochemical performance of the prepared samples was evaluated in a liquid electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries. These analyses indicated that the sample prepared with triethanolamine obtained round particles with average particle size of only 80 nm. And it delivered a discharge capacity of 170 mAh/g in the first cycle and 150 mAh/g after 30 cycles at about 1.50 V (versus Li). The results indicated that complex agent has a great effect on the particle size, shape, morphology and degree of agglomeration of the oxides, thus influencing the electrochemical properties of the products.