Influence of various complex agents on electrochemical property of Li4Ti5O12 anode material

Anode material spinel Li4Ti5O12 for lithium-ion batteries has been synthesized by sol-gel method with different complex agents. The precursors involved four complex agents such as acetic acid (AA), citric acid (CA), oxalic acid (OA) and triethanolamine (TEA). The as-prepared samples have been characterized by means of thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The electrochemical performance of the prepared samples was evaluated in a liquid electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries. These analyses indicated that the sample prepared with triethanolamine obtained round particles with average particle size of only 80 nm. And it delivered a discharge capacity of 170 mAh/g in the first cycle and 150 mAh/g after 30 cycles at about 1.50 V (versus Li). The results indicated that complex agent has a great effect on the particle size, shape, morphology and degree of agglomeration of the oxides, thus influencing the electrochemical properties of the products. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.