High rate Li4Ti5O12@C anode material fabricated by a facile carbon coating method

• Li4Ti5O12@C is prepared by a facile carbon coating strategy.
• Amorphous carbon coating layer shows a thickness of 4–6 nm.
• Li4Ti5O12@C delivers a capacity of 160.6 mA h g−1 at 20 mA g−1 in 1.0–2.0 V.
• Li4Ti5O12@C displays a capacity of 205.1 mA h g−1 at 1500 mA g−1 in 0.0–2.0 V.

In this study, carbon-encapsulated Li4Ti5O12 particles are prepared by a facile carbon formation strategy. Under the thermal hydrolysis of acetate in Ar atmosphere, Li4Ti5O12 particles are uniformly coated by amorphous carbon layer with the thickness of 4–6 nm. The electrochemical properties of Li4Ti5O12@C are characterized as high rate anode material for lithium ion batteries. Electrochemical results show that Li4Ti5O12@C can respectively deliver the reversible lithium storage capacities of 155.0, 134.7 and 60.3 mA h g−1 at 20, 600 and 1500 mA g−1 in a narrow working window of 1.0–2.0 V. Cycled in a broad potential range of 0.5–2.0 V, Li4Ti5O12@C remains the reversible charge capacities of 158.2, 134.5 and 114.7 mA h g−1 at 20, 600 and 1500 mA g−1 with capacity retentions of 91.5%, 97.5% and 100%, respectively. Even working between 0.0 and 2.0 V, Li4Ti5O12@C can still display outstanding electrochemical properties with the reversible capacities of 220.2, 200.6 and 205.1 mA h g−1 at 20, 600 and 1500 mA g−1.