Influence of preparation conditions on the properties of lithium titanate fabricated by a solid-state method

Lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12) was prepared by a quasi solid-state method using water and ethanol as the solvents, in which Li2CO3 and TiO2 were used as the starting materials. In this work, the calcination temperature, molar ratio of Li to Ti, and sintering time were all well investigated. The obtained samples were thoroughly characterized by XRD and SEM, revealing that the above three factors not only affected the crystal structure, but also the morphologies of the resultant samples. Galvanostatic charge discharge curves were also employed to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the samples. The best electrochemical performance of the samples was observed when the molar ratio of Li to Ti, sintering temperature and time are 6:5, 850 oC and 12 hours, respectively. It was revealed that the smaller particle size and the higher crystallinity of the resultant samples were favorable to enhance the electrochemical performance.