Focus on Spinel Li4Ti5O12 as Insertion Type Anode for High-Performance Na-Ion Batteries

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) toward large-scale energy storage applications has fascinated researchers in recent years owing to the low cost, environmental friendliness, and inestimable abundance. The similar chemical and electrochemical properties of sodium and lithium make sodium an easy substitute for lithium in lithium-ion batteries. However, the main issues of limited cycle life, low energy density, and poor power density hamper the commercialization process. In the last few years, the development of electrode materials for SIBs has been dedicated to improving sodium storage capacities, high energy density, and long cycle life. The insertion type spinel Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) possesses "zero-strain" behavior that offers the best cycle life performance among all reported oxide-based anodes, displaying a capacity of 155 mAh g(-1) via a three-phase separation mechanism, and competing for future topmost high energy anode for SIBs. Recent reports offer improvement of overall electrode performance through carbon coating, doping, composites with metal oxides, and surface modification techniques, etc. Further, LTO anode with its structure and properties for SIBs is described and effective methods to improve the LTO performance are discussed in both half-cell and practical configuration, i.e., full-cell, along with future perspectives and solutions to promote its use.