Optimizing the cycling life and high-rate performance of Li2ZnTi3O8 by forming thin uniform carbon coating derived from citric acid

Li2ZnTi3O8anode: design from material to electrode and devices

“…It is well known that carbon sources have great effects on the uniformity of the carbon layer, conductivity of the LZTO@C, and then the electrochemical performance including reversible specific capacity, cycling performance, and rate capability. Various carbon sources have been exploited, including lithium citrate, 96 asphalt, 97 phenolic resin, 98 sucrose, 99 titanium isopropoxide, 100 glucose, 101 citric acid, 102 oxalic acid, 95 alginic acid, 50 and β-cyclodextrin. 67 The results demonstrated that the electrochemical performance of LZTO@C could be enhanced via the carbon coating (Table 2).…”

“…Bai's group synthesized P-LZTO by mixing Li 2 CO 3 , Zn(CH 3 COO) 2 ·2H 2 O, and TiO 2 in deionized water, drying, and sintering. 102 Then, the as-prepared P-LZTO was mixed the citric acid solution under magnetic stirring, then dried, and finally sintered in N 2 at 700 °C for 5 h. The carbon layers were discontinuous un LZTO/C-1 owing to the low carbon content and were uniform for LZTO/C-2 with a proper amount of carbon. Redundant carbon was observed for LZTO/C-3 due to the high carbon content.…”

Optimizing the rate performance and cycle life of Li2 MTi3O8 (M = Mn, Co, Zn)/CNTs for lithium-ion battery anodes by constructing a one-dimensional carbon-based hybrid structure

“…When the current density was returned to 0.5 A g −1 , the capacities exceeded those at the starting 0.5 A g −1 , with this improvement attributed to the activation effect of Li 2 MTi 3 O 8 nanoparticles and the considerable effect of steric configuration. 18,19 The LCT/C cell was also cycled at 5 A g −1 to test its stability during long-term cycling (Fig. 5d).…”

“…Additionally, several carbon sources, such as sucrose, fulvic acid, chitosan and citric acid, have been employed in the preparation of Li 2 MTi 3 O 8 /C composites. [16][17][18] However, the rate properties and cycle lifetimes of the electrodes are still unsatisfactory, which might be due to the selection of the carbon source and the structural integration of the composites. 17 In particular, the concept of a hybrid structure, which refers to active nanomaterials integrated with a conductive carbon, has attracted tremendous attention.…”

“…17 In particular, the concept of a hybrid structure, which refers to active nanomaterials integrated with a conductive carbon, has attracted tremendous attention. 18 Based on this concept, a promising hybrid nanostructure composed of porous carbon nanotubes and embedded Li 2 MTi 3 O 8 nanoparticles has been synthesized successfully via a sol-gel process, combined with grinding and calcination. Therefore, the conductive porous carbon matrix ensures a high electronic conductivity, guarantees sufficient transport paths for both Li + and electrons, accommodates volume expansion, prevents the agglomeration of Li 2 MTi 3 O 8 nanocrystals, and maintains the structural integrity of the electrodes during high-rate charge-discharge processes.…”