Optimization of Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) performance through the addition of ZnO-Nanorods using sol-gel solid-state method process as half-cell lithium-ion battery anode

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries have been a substantial power source for most electrical devices nowadays. Performance optimization for anode of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can be conducted by adding ZnO through sol-gel solid-state reaction. In this research, the Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) used was synthesized through sol-gel solid-state process and directly added with ZnO-nanorods obtained from aging and annealing process. LTO-ZnO obtained was characterized to determine the main phase and chemical composition by XRD and SEM-EDS respectively. Electrochemical performance of LTO-ZnO was tested by EIS, CV, and CD. ZnO-nanorods characterization with SEM-EDS results shows that the ZnO inside the LTO dispersed homogeneously. Characterization using XRD revealed that the ZnO successfully enter the LTO with the variation of amount of 4, 7, and 10 wt % of ZnO. Electric conductivity test shows improvement at an optimum addition amount of ZnO at 4 wt%, although BET result shows at the optimum amount of surface area with 96.459 m2/g. Electrochemical performance result shows optimum performance in ZnO at 4 wt% for its ability to withstand EIS test at 20C compared to 7 wt% and 10 wt%. Also, capacity of 4 wt% added is 150.8 mAh/g compared to 7 wt% with 134.1 mAh/g and 10 wt% with 118.3 mAh/g.