Graphene as a conductive additive to enhance the high-rate capabilities of electrospun Li4Ti5O12 for lithium-ion batteries

Spinel Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) is a promising candidate anode material for Li-ion batteries due to its well-known zero-strain merits. To improve the electronic properties of spinel LTO, which are intrinsically poor, we processed the material into a nanosized architecture to shorten the distance for Li-ion and electron transport using the versatile electrospinning method. Graphene was chosen as an effective carbon coating to improve the surface conductivity of the nanocomposites. The as-prepared graphene-embedded LTO anode material showed improved discharging/charging and cycling properties, particularly at high rates, such as 22 C, which makes the nanocomposite an attractive anode material for applications in electric vehicles.