Zr-doped Li4Ti5O12 anode materials with high specific capacity for lithium-ion batteries

Zr4+-doped Li4Ti5-xZrxO12 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20) anode materials are prepared via a facile hydrothermal method. The as-obtained composites are stacked by the irregular thin nanosheets and show a pure phase structure and good crystallinity. Furthermore, doping Zr ions into Li4Ti5O12 can significantly lower the polarization, enhance the reversibility and facilitate Li+ diffusion of the electrodes. Particularly, the 0.15Zr-LTO sample delivers a fairly high initial discharge capacity of 206.4 mAh g−1 and maintains 188.2, 170.7, 161.5, 149.1 mAh g−1 at 1C, 2C, 5C and 10C rates (1C = 175 mAh g−1), respectively. Even at 20C, it exhibits the initial discharge capacities of 163.7 mAh g−1 and the capacity retention still retains 83% (136.7 mAh g−1) after 500 cycles.