Synthesis of high performance N-doped carbon coated Li2ZnTi3O8via a NTA-assisted solid-state route

Abstract

N-Doped carbon coated Li₂ZnTi₃O₈ (LZTO@C–N) anodes have been successfully synthesized via a simple NTA-assisted solid-state method using NTA as C and N sources, as well as a chelating agent. It is shown that the N element can be doped into carbon. The N-doped carbon greatly benefits the electrochemical performance of LZTO@C–N. The initial capacities of 276.5, 271.3 and 231.9 mA h g⁻¹ are delivered at 2, 3 and 5 A g⁻¹, respectively, for LZTO@C–N-2 with a carbon content of 4.89%. 186.0, 177.3 and 159.7 mA h g⁻¹ are still maintained at the 100th cycle, respectively. The good electrochemical performance of the LZTO@C–N-2 electrode at high current densities is due to its proper specific surface area and particle size, low charge-transfer resistance, and high lithium diffusion coefficient.