Highly dispersed Ag nanoparticles (<10 nm) deposited on nanocrystalline Li ₄Ti ₅O ₁₂ demonstrating high-rate charge/discharge capability for lithium-ion battery

A Li ₄Ti ₅O ₁₂ (LTO)/Ag composite is prepared via a facile electroless deposition (ED) process, and the electrochemical performance is examined for lithium-ion battery application. The nanosized Ag particles (<10 nm) are well dispersed on the surface of the nanocrystalline LTO (∼90 nm). The LTO/Ag nanocomposite displays an excellent high-rate capacity of 131 mAh g ^-1 at 30 C within the voltage range of 1-2.5 V (versus Li ⁺/Li). Furthermore, the nanocomposite also exhibits excellent cycle stability, retaining over 98% of its initial capacity after 120 charge/discharge cycles at varying rates.