Graphene as a conductive additive to enhance the high-rate capabilities of electrospun Li4Ti5O12 for lithium-ion batteries

Spinel Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) is a promising candidate anode material for Li-ion batteries due to its well-known zero-strain merits. To improve the electronic properties of spinel LTO. which are intrinsically poor, we processed the material into a nanosized architecture to shorten the distance for Li-ion and electron transport using the versatile electrospinning method. Graphene was chosen as an effective carbon coating to improve the surface conductivity of the nanocomposites. The as-prepared graphene-embedded LTO anode material showed improved discharging/charging and cycling properties, particularly at high rates, such as 22 C, which makes the nanocomposite an attractive anode material for applications in electric vehicles. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.