Templated spinel Li4Ti5O12 Li-ion battery electrodes combining high rates with high energy density

• Carbonate template improves the ionic transport in Li-ion battery electrodes.
• Very high Li4Ti5O12 (dis)charge rates in combination with high electrode density.
• Cheap, facile and up scalable template method.
• General applicable template method to improve Li-ion battery performance.

High power and high energy density electrodes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are required for electrical mobility applications. Though nano-structuring of electrode materials generally improves the kinetics of the charge transport, thereby increasing the power density, the drawback is the low density of these electrodes compromising the energy density. Combining high power density with high energy density requires dense electrodes with optimal ionic and electronic wiring throughout the electrode microstructure. Here we present a facile and low cost templating method using carbonate salts creating 3D interconnected ionic pathways that improve the ionic charge transport without compromising the electrode density significantly. The method was demonstrated for C/Li4Ti5O12 electrode material resulting in excellent capacity retention reaching ~ 90% at 5 C and ~ 50% at 200 C rate combined with high active material electrode densities around 1.45 gm/cm3.

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