Nanosized Spinel Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ Anode Material Prepared by Gel-polymer Method using Furfuryl Alcohol as Polymerizable Solvent

Nanosized Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ powders are synthesized by a polymerization-based method using ti-tanium butoxide and lithium nitrate as precursors and furfuryl alcohol as a polymerizable solvent. The prepared samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron mi-croscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Braunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. The electrochemical performances of these Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ powders are also studied. The effect of different surfactants including citric acid, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and cetyltrimethyl am-monium bromide on the structure and properties is also investigated. It is found that pure spinel phase of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ is obtained at an annealing temperature of 700 oC or higher. The use of surfactants can improve the powder morphology of nanosized particles with less ag-glomeration. With suitable annealing temperature and the addition of surfactant, Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ powders with high BET surface area and favorable electrochemical performance can be ob-tained.