Preparation of Li4Ti5O12nanoparticles by a simple sonochemical method

Abstract

Homogeneous Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ nanoparticles were prepared: First, LiOH was coated onto TiO₂ nanoparticles via a sonochemical method, operated at 20 kHz and 220 W for 20 min. These particles have about 2–5 nm coating depth of LiOH on the TiO₂ nanoparticle surface. Second, the resulting nanoparticles were thermally treated at 500 °C for 1 h, resulting in the formation of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (LTO) nanoparticles. These LTO nanoparticles had an average grain size of about 30–40 nm with excellent phase purity in good stoichiometric ratios of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂. These nanoparticles with a uniform size distribution were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high resolution-transmission electron microscopy analyses.