Electrochemical performance of marimocarbon/lithium titanate composites synthesized by hydrothermal method for lithium-ion batteries

We prepared and investigated the composites of the spinel Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (LTO) and Marimocarbon (MC) by the hydrothermal method that could form uniform electric paths without aggregation of the LTO particles for high capacity and high rate lithium-ion batteries. MC consisted of many fine carbon nanofilaments (CNFs) intertwined with each other in a complicated fashion. There are vacant space volumes of hundred nanometers between the CNFs. LTO particles were deposited in the space volumes among the tangled CNFs of the MCs. LTO is one of the most attractive anode materials for lithium-ion batteries because of its structural stability and safety. The morphology, microstructure and elemental composition of the LTO/MC composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). A charge–discharge test revealed that the LTO/MC composite (MC 10 wt%, prepared using a fluidized bed flow-reactor) produced the specific capacity of 170 mA g −1 at 1C (1C = 175 mA g −1 ). The LTO/MC composite maintained the specific capacity of 47 mAh g −1 even in the high rate zone at 30C whereas only the pristine LTO the produced 15 mAh g −1 at this rate. The unique structure of the LTO/MC composites can contribute to improving the electrochemical performance of the LTO anode. The LTO/MC composites can provide an effective approach to improve the lithium-ion battery performances. Graphical abstract