Electrochemical performance of Li4Ti5O12/C anode material prepared with a stearic acid carbon source

The synthesis of carbon-coated Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) anode material using stearic acid as a carbon source is reported. The thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry method was employed to investigate the reaction process. The obtained composites with various amounts of carbon were characterized by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical properties were evaluated by galvanostatic charge/discharge tests, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammogram. The results show that LTO/C with 2.7% carbon exhibits the best electrochemical performance, displaying discharge capacities of 169.3 mAh g-1 at 0.5C rate. The discharge capacity of the LTO/C material can still retain 96.8% after 300 cycles at 20C rate. (paper)