Abstract
Monodispersed mesoporous lithium titanate was synthesized by combining sol-gel and solvothermal process. The role of solvothermally treating amorphous TiO 2 precursors could produce mesoporous anatase beads with the incorporation of Li 2 O. Calcination helps the diffusion between TiO 2 and Li 2 O, leading to mesoporous lithium titanate. The crystalline structure and morphological observation of the as-synthesized mesoporous Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The mesoporous structure could be directly observed through the N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherm. It was demonstrated that the electrochemical performance was significantly improved by the mesoporous structure. The mesoporous lithium titanate exhibited a stable capacity of 160 mAh g -1 at 0.5 C. Besides, the reversible capacity at 5 C remained over half of that at 0.5 C. The superior C-rate performance should be associated with the mesoporous structure, facilitating lithium transportation ability during cycling. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.