Sol-Gel Synthesis and in Situ X-ray Diffraction Study of LiNdWO as a Lithium Container.

In this work, garnet-framework LiNdWO as a novel insertion-type anode material has been prepared via a facile sol-gel method and examined as a lithium container for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). LiNdWO shows a charge capacity of 225 mA h g at 50 mA g, and with the current density increasing up to 500 mA g, the charge capacity can still be maintained at 186 mA h g. After cycling at 500 mA g for 500 cycles, LiNdWO retains about 85% of its first charge capacity changed from 190.2 to 161 mA h g. Furthermore, in situ X-ray diffraction technique is adopted for the understanding of the insertion/extraction mechanism of LiNdWO. The full-cell configuration LiFePO/LiNdWO is also assembled to evaluate the potential of LiNdWO for practical application. These results show that LiNdWO is such a promising anode material for LIBs with excellent electrochemical performance and stable structure.