One-pot synthesis of LiEuTiO4 as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries operating at 0.8 V

A single phase of LiEuTiO4 was prepared by a one-pot synthesis, assisted by a solution plasma technique in an ionic liquid. We characterized the sample by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Our single-phase material exhibited better electrochemical performance than that of a sample prepared via multi-step synthesis, which we attribute to the smaller particle size and larger specific surface area of the former. The single phase LiEuTiO4 showed an initial discharge capacity of 237.3 mAhg(-1) and good capacity retention of 97.0% after 100 cycles. Our samples also had a high specific capacity of 156.2 mAhg(-1) at 5 Ag-1. These results demonstrate that one-pot synthesis is effective for preparing LiEuTiO4 with small particle size and high specific surface area offering a potential approach to LiEuTiO4 as a low-operating voltage anode material for lithium ion batteries. (C) 2018 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.