One step sol–gel synthesis of Li2ZnTi3O8/C nanocomposite with enhanced lithium-ion storage properties

Abstract One step sol–gel route was developed for synthesizing Li 2 ZnTi 3 O 8 /C nanocomposite, in which a thin layer of carbon was coated on the surface of Li 2 ZnTi 3 O 8 nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were high crystalline and their size was found to be ca. 20–30 nm. The synthesized Li 2 ZnTi 3 O 8 /C nanocomposite was used as an anode for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and exhibited a high reversible charge–discharge capacity, excellent cycling stability and high rate performance. A large capacity of 284 mAh g −1 can be kept after 200 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g −1 . These results can be attributed to the intrinsic characteristics of Li 2 ZnTi 3 O 8 /C nanocomposite. A thin layer of carbon on the surface of Li 2 ZnTi 3 O 8 nanoparticles could improve significantly the conductivity and the anode made of nanoparticles greatly decreased the diffusion distance for lithium ions and electrons in the solid state.