Li2NiTiO4—a new positive electrode for lithium batteries: soft-chemistry synthesis and electrochemical characterization

A new lithium-rich phase-pure nanocrystalline Li2NiTiO4 was synthesized via an improved synthetic protocol adopting a simple soft-chemistry approach using carboxylic acid–nitrate method at temperature <300 °C for the first time. The product was found to crystallize in a cubic rock-salt structure (cation-disordered) as confirmed by Rietveld pattern refinement analysis with the following lattice parameters: a=4.1453(6) Å (space group Fm3̄m). TEM analysis revealed that the size of the primary particles is within the range of 50–100 nm. The reversible lithium removal/insertion characteristics of this new material were demonstrated in a half cell containing the composite electrode of Li2NiTiO4, black carbon (AB) and PVDF binder (70:20:10) against Li+/Li. Slow scan cyclicvoltammetry (SSCV) reveals the electrochemical cyclability and redox properties of the new material with deliverable reversible capacity of 91 mA h/g (C rate) and 96 mA h/g (C/2 rate) after first charge/discharge cycle. This high rate Li-insertion/extraction behavior is related to the particle size of the product.