A novel H 2 O 2 -assisted method to fabricate Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 /TiO 2 materials for high-performance energy storage

Abstract Spinel Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 known as a “zero-strain” anode material for Li-ion battery has attracted much attention because of its superior safety and stability. Herein, we report a novel H 2 O 2 -assisted one-step hydrothermal method to synthesize different ratio Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 /TiO 2 composites with the same amount of raw materials. For the first time, Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 was prepared directly from commercial titania with the presence of H 2 O 2 , and different proportion Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 /TiO 2 composites were fabricated only by adjusting the amount of H 2 O 2 . The reaction mechanism of the novel H 2 O 2 -assisted method was clearly investigated, and H 2 O 2 plays a crucial role in the formation of intermediate Li 1.81 H 0.19 Ti 2 O 5 ·2H 2 O. Further, the electrochemical performance of different ratio Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 /TiO 2 composites have been investigated. This facile method is also applicable for the preparation of Na 2 Ti 6 O 13 /TiO 2 material, and provides us the new way to fabricate composite materials.