Carbon-Coated Porous LiTi2(PO4)3 Network with Excellent Electrochemical Property via Replication of Cotton Fabric

Abstract

A simple morphogenetic route has been developed to obtain free-standing lithium titanium phosphate (LiTi2(PO4)3, LTP) with physical morphology resemble to a fabric. Commercial cotton textiles are used as templates by loading with aqueous solutions of corresponding precursors and then the cellulosic component is burned off in a furnace held at 600 °C. A well-crystallized centimeter-sized lithium titanium phosphate piece can then be synthesized with morphology similar to the fabric and high porosity. After uniformly coating the as-obtained lithium titanium phosphate network with amorphous carbon, the sample shows superior rate capability and cyclability in rechargeable lithium ion batteries. This method can be extendable for other templates and other titanium based electrode materials.