Srinivasan Anandan

Currently, developing materials with high power capability is crucial to the rapid deployment of electric vehicles. The Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ (LTO) anode material with zero strain rate upon lithium insertion and extraction. The successful implementation of this anode material depends on strategies to overcome the low electronic and ionic conductivity. In this study, Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ was synthesized using solid‐state approach in which different phases (anatase and rutile) of TiO ₂ as precursors were used. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman analysis confirmed the formation of oxygen vacancies with the existence of Ti ³⁺ ions, which is believed to greatly enhance the electronic conductivity of Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ . The electrochemical performance revealed that the rutile TiO ₂ precursor concentration significantly affects the resultant Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ capacity and power capability. The Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ synthesized using 80% anatase and 20% rutile TiO ² (N2‐LTO) exhibits a specific capacity of 169, 145, 140, 133, 122, 101, and 84 mAh g ⁻¹ at 1C, 3C, 5C, 7C, 10C, 20C, and 30C. In addition, LFP||N2‐LTO pouch‐cell was fabricated which showed promising results with 95% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 1C rate. The oxygen vacancies created due to the presence of Ti ³⁺ /Ti ⁴⁺ mixed valances and reduced particle size for faster lithium‐ion diffusion significantly enhanced the overall electrochemical performance.

Three‐dimensional ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) are desirable for high performing energy storage devices because they provide a continuous electron pathway to ensure good electrical contact and also facilitate electrolyte ion transport by reducing diffusion lengths during charge‐discharge process. Here, we report the synthesis of three dimensional mesoporous carbon (CMK‐8) using KIT‐6 and sucrose as silica template and carbon source, respectively. Initially, KIT‐6, synthesized at different hydrothermal temperature (100, 130 and 150 °C) is used as silica template to prepare OMCs with different pore diameter. The resulting OMCs were extensively characterized by SAXS, FE SEM, HR‐TEM, BET and Raman techniques. The SAXS pattern shows distinct reflections at low 2θ range corresponds to ordered mesoporous structure of cubic Ia3d space group. The OMC possesses a specific surface area of 1017 m ² /g with a mean pore size of 4.1 nm and large pore volume of 1.14 cm ³ g ⁻¹ . As electrode material for supercapacitor application, the resulting mesoporous carbon delivers a high capacitance of 252 F/g @ 0.5 A/g and shows good rate performance (75% retention in capacitance at high current rates) and outstanding cyclic stability (91% retention after 30,000 cycles). Further, as anode for Li‐ion battery application, it also exhibits promising specific capacity (856 mAh/g) with good cyclic and rate capability. The excellent electrochemical properties of the mesoporous carbon material are attributed to its three dimensional porous structure and high surface area with interconnected mesopores that provides rapid ion and electron transport during electrochemical process.