Enhancing battery performance of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ nanorod synthesized by hydrothermal method with Sn addition as anode material for lithium-ion battery

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ nanorod/Sn composite has been prepared as anode material for a lithium-ion battery. Sn powder is added with a variation of 5%, 10%, and 15%. Synthesis of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ is done by synthesizing TiO₂ precursor with a sol-gel method; the precursors are treated hydrothermally in NaOH 10 M solution for 24 h at 180°C. The obtained nanorod precursor then mixed with LiOH to obtain Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ with nanorod structure. This nanorod is combined with Sn, the obtained powder then becomes the active material for lithium battery anode. Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ nanorod/Sn composite is characterized using XRD, SEM-EDX and TEM. To study the battery performance several tests are conducted, these tests consist of EIS, CV, and CD. Cyclic voltammetry testing shows the addition of Sn resulting a shift in reaction voltage improving battery capacity to 191 mAh g⁻¹ with 10% Sn addition. The improvement is caused by nano structure owned by the samples in current research, meanwhile the shift in voltage indicates microalloying and will result in more significant battery cell voltage.