Du, G.Winton, B.R.Hashim, I.M.Sharma, N.Konstantinov, K.Reddy, M.V.Guo, Z.2021-05-212021-05-212014RSC Advances: an international journal to further the chemical sciences, 2014; 4(73):38568-385742046-20692046-2069http://hdl.handle.net/2440/130360Nanocrystalline Li4Ti5O12 with in situ incorporation of carbon and Ti3+ was synthesized by industry scalable in situ spray pyrolysis, producing crystal sizes ranging from 10 to 30 nm. Subsequent annealing in N2 preserved a proportion of the carbon from the precursor organic salts, predominantly on the Li4Ti5O12 grain boundaries, where it formed a conductive network. Such a situation would be expected to inhibit the growth of the primary Li4Ti5O12 crystals. The molecular-level uniformity of the precursor allows synthesis of Li4Ti5O12 with a significantly shorter heat treatment compared to conventional solid state reaction, which in turn saves energy during large-scale production. Notably, both the nanosized particles and the in situ incorporation of carbon and Ti3+ improve the rate capability. In rate capability measurements, stable and high capacity retention was observed from 0.5 C to 30 C. Spray pyrolyzed Li4Ti5O12 delivered a discharge capacity of 145.8 mA h g−1 at 10 C for up to 500 cycles. In the full battery tests with Li(Co0.16Mn1.84)O4 as cathode, it also showed excellent capacity and cycling stability, further indicating that spray pyrolyzed Li4Ti5O12 is a promising anode material for high power batteries.enCopyright status unknownJournal article100003921810.1039/c4ra05178e0003417769000112-s2.0-84906852463571621Guo, Z. [0000-0003-3464-5301]