STRUCTURAL AND ELECTROCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF CALCINED LITHIUM TITANATE( Li4Ti5O12 )AND COPPER(I) CHLORIDE (CuCl) MIXTURE AS AN ALTERNATIVE ANODE MATERIAL FOR LI-ION BATTERY

Abstract

Spinel lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12, LTO) has been considered as a promising alternative to commercialized graphite, which efficiently addresses safety issues such as lithium plating and dendrite formation that are often encountered during high-rate charging. Its zero-strain behaviour and higher operating potential allow excellent cycling stability . However, the intrinsically low electronic conductivity and moderate Li+ diffusion of spinel LTO still limit its high-rate capability and practical application in advanced lithium-ion batteries. In the present work LTO was synthesized at 8000C in order to obtain optimized structural and electrochemical profile. To check if halide-assisted copper oxidation and subsequent in-situ formation of CuO can improve the electrochemical performance of spinel, the optimized LTO was mixed with CuCl in Ti:Cu molar ratio of 5:2 and calcined in air. Physical characterization revealed LTO and CuO as two main components in the calcinated mixture of CuCl and LTO. Decrease in crystallite size was seen post calcination of mixture of CuCl and LTO with a minor change in particle size.