Correlation between Lithium Titanate Powder Morphology and High Rate Performance in Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Hamankiewicz Bartosz , Llain-Jiménez Hermes A. , Buchberger Dominika , Winkowska-Struzik Magdalena , Ratyński Maciej , Krajewski Michał , Boczar Maciej , Czerwiński Andrzej 
Published: December 2024

Among the various intercalation and insertion materials, lithium titanium oxide (Li4Ti5O12, LTO) is considered a safe, “zero-strain” compound, since its volume changes are less than 1% during the lithium insertion/extraction processes [1]. This results in better cycle life and higher structural stability than graphite and other materials that suffer from much higher volume changes [2-5].The major disadvantage of lithium titanium oxide is its poor electrical conductivity (<10−13 S cm−1) [6]. Several attempts have been made to further improve the performance of Li4Ti5O12, including doping, coating, particle engineering, or the modification of synthesis procedures. Some of these approaches produce materials with improved capacity retention at high C-rates; however, many are expensive or relatively slow, and thus unfavorable for commercial application.

The primary objective of this study was to shed light on the essential factor responsible for the superior performance of LTO powders in lithium-ion batteries at high rates.[7] The study presents a comprehensive analysis of the structural and morphological properties of various Li4Ti5O12, materials and their correlation with electrochemical performance. The results of the analysis revealed that there was a correlation between high capacity retention at 10 C and the specific surface area. In other words, the greater the specific surface area, the better the high-rate performance of Li4Ti5O12, materials. This study also discusses that other electrochemical and structural factors, including the crystal size, were not correlated with 10 C performance. The study also found that any increase in the specific surface area of Li4Ti5O12, beyond 15 m2 g−1 did not improve the high rate capacity retention or the specific discharge capacity at high current rates. This suggests that an optimal specific surface area of Li4Ti5O12 is essential for high-rate performance. Furthermore, the study showed that lithium titanium oxide powders synthesized via sol-gel retained similar or higher discharge specific capacities than materials synthesized via more complex routes.

This work was supported by The National Centre for Research and Development through the research grant “Efficient and light photo-rechargeable electric energy storage systems based on solar cell—lithium-ion battery or solar cell-supercapacitor structures for special applications”, grant No. TECHMATSTRATEG1/347431/14/NCBR/2018.

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