Construction of the embedded Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 -MWCNTs nanocomposite electrode for diverse applications in electrochemical sensing and rechargeable battery

Abstract

Abstract Here, a facile and cost-effective hydrothermal method was used to synthesize lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12, (LTO))-multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite for the bifunctional property of sensing and energy storage applications. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to confirm the formation of LTO-MWCNTs nanocomposite. The electrochemical sensing of Dopamine (DA) at LTO-MWCNTs modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was studied. The modified electrode demonstrated remarkable sensitivity, with a detection limit of 1.54 µM of DA. Moreover, the modified electrode was used for the selective measurement of DA in presence of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and folic acid (FA) without interfering with their respective potentials. The modified electrode was used to quantify the DA in commercial DA injection sample with satisfactory recoveries. The modified LTO-MWCNTs/GCE electrode showed acceptable reproducibility and excellent stability. In addition, LTO-MWCNTs nanocomposite electrode delivered a high initial discharge capacity of 176 mAh g− 1 at a charge-discharge rate of 1C in a constant-current charge-discharge experiment, which proved its efficacy as a rechargeable battery anode material.