Synthesis and electrochemical properties of a carbon-coated spinel Li4Ti5O12 anode material using soybean oil for lithium-ion batteries

The electrochemical performance of a spinel structural of Li4Ti5O12 synthesized via a solid-state method is compared against Li4Ti5O12/C composites synthesized by an emulsion reaction using soybean oil as the carbon source. Through this, it is revealed that Li4Ti5O12/C offers better cycling performance and rate capability than Li4Ti5O12, retaining 94% of its initial reversible capacity after 100 cycles at 0.5C rate. This outstanding electrochemical performance makes it a promising anode material for use in lithium-ion batteries designed for high-power applications. [Display omitted] •A spinel structural Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) was synthesized by a solid-state method.•LTO/C composites were synthesized by an emulsion reaction using soybean oil.•The LTO and LTO/C composite particle size is in the range of 100 to 200nm.•The LTO/C composite had a better cycling performance and rate capability over LTO.•The LTO/C composite exhibits a high capacity of 150.44mAhg−1 at a high rate of 5C.