TiO 2 (B) nanosheets modified Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 microsphere anode for high-rate lithium-ion batteries.

With the increasing applications of Lithium-ion batteries in heavy equipment and engineering machinery, the requirements of rate capability are continuously growing. The high-rate performance of Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (LTO) needs to be further improved. In this paper, we synthesized LTO microsphere-TiO 2 (B) nanosheets (LTO-TOB) composite by using a solvothermal method and subsequent calcination. LTO-TOB composite combines the merits of TiO 2 (B) and LTO, resulting in excellent high-rate capability (144.8, 139.3 and 124.4 mAh g -1 at 20 C, 30 C and 50 C) and superior cycling stability (98.9% capability retention after 500 cycles at 5 C). Its excellent electrochemical properties root in the large surface area, high grain-boundary density and pseudocapacitive effect of LTO-TOB. This work reveals that LTO-TOB composite can be a potential anode for high power and energy density lithium-ion batteries.