High-performance thin-film Li4Ti5O12 electrodes fabricated by using ink-jet printing technique and their electrochemical properties

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin-film anode with high discharge capacity and excellent cycle stability for rechargeable lithium ion batteries was prepared successfully by using ink-jet printing technique. The prepared Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin film were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cyclic voltammograms, and galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements. It was found that the average thickness of 10-layer Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ film was about 1.7~1.8 μm and the active material Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ in the thin film was nano-sized about 50–300 nm. It was also found that the prepared Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin film exhibited a high discharge capacity of about 174 mAh/g and the discharge capacity in the 300th cycle retained 88% of the largest discharge capacity at a current density of 10.4 μA/cm² in the potential range of 1.0–2.0 V.