ULTRATHIN Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ NANOSHEETS AS A HIGH PERFORMANCE ANODE FOR Li-ION BATTERY

Ultrathin Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ (LTO) nanosheets were successfully synthesized for the first time using the ultrathin titanate nanowires as a precursor. The synthesized Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ nanosheets have a large surface area of 159.2m²g^-1 and their thickness was found to be ca. 5–7 nm. These nanosheets were highly crystalline and used as anode materials in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. A stable capacity of 150 mAhg^-1 for LTO nanosheets can be retained after 70 cycles at a current density of 1 Ag^-1 in the voltage window of 2.5–1.0 V. It is notable that a large capacity of 267.5 mAhg^-1 was obtained at the second discharge and 166 mAhg^-1 can be retained after 70 cycles at 1 Ag^-1 in the voltage range of 2.5–0.02 V. These results indicate that the anode materials made of spinel LTO nanosheets displayed a large reversible capacity at a high charge/discharge rate.