Enhanced Performance of “Flower‐like” Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 Motifs as Anode Materials for High‐Rate Lithium‐Ion Batteries

“Flower‐like” motifs of Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 were synthesized by using a facile and large‐scale hydrothermal process involving unique Ti foil precursors followed by a short, relatively low‐temperature calcination in air. Moreover, a detailed time‐dependent growth mechanism and a reasonable reaction scheme were proposed to clearly illustrate and highlight the structural evolution and subsequent formation of this material. Specifically, the resulting “flower‐like” Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 microspheres consisting of thin nanosheets provide for an enhanced surface area and a reduced lithium‐ion diffusion distance. The high surface areas of the exposed roughened, thin petal‐like component nanosheets are beneficial for the interaction of the electrolyte with Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 , which thereby ultimately provides for improved high‐rate performance and favorable charge/discharge dynamics. Electrochemical studies of the as‐prepared nanostructured Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 clearly revealed their promising potential as an enhanced anode material for lithium‐ion batteries, as they present both excellent rate capabilities (delivering 148, 141, 137, 123, and 60 mAh g −1 under discharge rates of 0.2, 10, 20, 50, and 100 C, at cycles of 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70, respectively) and stable cycling performance (exhibiting a capacity retention of ≈97 % from cycles 10–100, under a discharge rate of 0.2 C, and an impressive capacity retention of ≈87 % by using a more rigorous discharge rate of 20 C from cycles 101–300).