Improved low-temperature electrochemical performance of Li4Ti5O12 composite anodes for Li-ion batteries

The poor electrochemical performance of Li-ion batteries at low temperature is one of the major technical barriers to their practical application as energy sources. Here we report an attempt to improve the low-temperature electrochemical behavior of Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) anodes by replacing pristine Super-P with a Cu/Super-P composite in the electrodes composition. The composite, consisting of copper nanoparticles supported on Super-P carbon (Cu/Super-P), has been synthesized via a fast one-pot microwave-assisted polyol procedure. The comparison between the electrochemical performances of electrodes manufactured with pristine Super-P and of those that used the Cu/Super-P shows that the synthesized composite is indeed effective in enhancing the low-temperature electrochemical behavior of LTO anodes. Galvanostatic cycling demonstrates that much higher capacities are obtained within the investigated temperature range (from 20 to -30 degrees C), regardless of the applied C-rate. Furthermore, the study of the differential capacity plots clearly shows that lower polarization is achieved when the Cu/Super-P composite replaces pristine Super-P. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.