Lanthanum titanate nanometric powder potentially for rechargeable Ni-batteries: Synthesis and electrochemical hydrogen storage

La2Ti2O7 nanosized powder was prepared and evaluated as novel negative electrode material for Ni/oxide rechargeable batteries. La2Ti2O7 nanosized powder was synthesized at 850°C within 5h by the well-known citric-acid sol–gel route. The synthetized powder had an irregular morphology with a particle size below 100nm and a tendency to form clusters. La2Ti2O7 had a perovskite-type layered structure and presented a maximum electrochemical hydrogen uptake capacity of 224mAh/g corresponding to 0.84wt.% of hydrogen. Electrochemical studies revealed that the La2Ti2O7 compound can be considered an alternative electrode material for Ni/oxide rechargeable batteries since it exhibits a good cycling stability after activation.