Electrochemically active nanocomposites of Li 4Ti 5O 12 2D nanosheets and SnO 2 0D nanocrystals with improved electrode performance

  • Song Yi Han
  • , In Young Kim
  • , Sang Hyup Lee
  • , Seong Ju Hwang*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    29 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Electrochemically active nanocomposites consisting of Li 4Ti 5O 12 2D nanosheets and SnO 2 0D nanocrystals are synthesized by the crystal growth of tin dioxide on the surface of 2D nanostructured lithium titanate. According to powder X-ray diffraction and electron microscopic analyses, the rutile-structured SnO 2 nanocrystals are stabilized on the surface of spinel-structured Li 4Ti 5O 12 2D nanosheets. The homogeneous hybridization of tin dioxide with lithium titanate is confirmed by elemental mapping analysis. Ti K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure and Sn 3d X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate the stabilization of tetravalent titanium ions in the spinel lattice of Li 4Ti 5O 12 and the formation of SnO 2 phase with tetravalent Sn oxidation state. The electrochemical measurements clearly demonstrate the promising functionality of the present nanocomposites as anode for lithium secondary batteries. The Li 4Ti 5O 12-SnO 2 nanocomposites show larger discharge capacity and better cyclability than do the uncomposited Li 4Ti 5O 12 and SnO 2 phases, indicating the synergistic effect of nanocomposite formation on the electrode performance of Li 4Ti 5O 12 and SnO 2. The present experimental findings underscore the validity of 2D nanostructured lithium titanate as a useful platform for the stabilization of nanocrystalline electrode materials and also for the improvement of their functionality.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)59-64
    Number of pages6
    JournalElectrochimica Acta
    Volume74
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2012 Jul 15

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the “Korean Government (MEST)” (NRF-2010-C1AAA001-2010-0029065), by the Korea Ministry of Environment as “Converging Technology Project” (191-101-001), and by National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (2010-0001485). The experiments at Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL) were supported in part by MOST and POSTECH.

    Keywords

    • Anode materials
    • Lithium secondary batteries
    • Nanocomposites
    • Nanoparticles
    • Nanosheets

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Chemical Engineering
    • Electrochemistry

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