PEDOT coated Li4Ti5O12 nanorods: Soft chemistry approach synthesis and their lithium storage properties

Spinel Li4Ti5O12 nanorods coated with poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) layer as an anode material for lithium ions battery were synthesized by a facile soft chemistry approach. The highly conductive and uniform PEDOT layer coated on the surface of Li4Ti5O12 nanorods significantly improves the electrochemical performance of the composite, which exhibits higher reversible capacity and better rate capability compared with the pure Li4Ti5O12 and Li4Ti5O12/C composite. The reversible capacity of Li4Ti5O12/PEDOT nanorods can be up to 171.5 mA h g−1 at the rate of 0.2 C. And a capacity of 168.7 mA h g−1 was retained with only 0.5% capacity loss after 100 charge-discharge cycles at the rate of 1 C, which confirms the good cycling behavior of Li4Ti5O12/PEDOT nanorods. The superior electrochemical performance of the Li4Ti5O12/PEDOT nanorods could be attributed to the one-dimensional (1D) morphology and uniform conducting polymer layer, which shortens the lithium-ion diffusion path and improves the electrical conductivity of Li4Ti5O12.