Electrochemical Insertion and Extraction of Lithium Ion at Uniform Nanosized Li_4/3Ti_5/3O₄ Particles Prepared by a Spray Pyrolysis Method

Nanosized particles of spinel Li 4/3 Ti 5/3 O 4 were prepared at 673 K by an electrospray pyrolysis method for the first time. TEM observation clarified that the resultant particles were fairly uniform and that the particle sizes were ca. 12 nm with well-defined crystal form. Cyclic voltammetry gave very sharp and symmetrical redox peaks at around 1.56 V vs Li/Li + due to the insertion and extraction of lithium ion at the nanosized Li 4/3 Ti 5/3 O 4 . These results indicate that the apparent fast diffusion of lithium ion can be attained by using uniform nanosized particles.