Lithium Storage in Li4Ti5O12 Spinel: The Full Static Picture from Electron Microscopy

The full static picture of Li storage in Li4Ti5O12 is derived using the latest spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and first-principles calculations. The accommodation of the additional Li+ is directly visualized and the distribution of electrons introduced by lithium insertion deduced. Moreover, Li4Ti5O12 is found to transform into Li7Ti5O12 on lithiation by developing a dislocation-free coherent hetero-interface.