Cation disordered rock salt phase Li₂CoTiO₄ as a potential cathode material for Li-ion batteries

Li₂CoTiO₄ as a new titanate cathode material for Li-ion batteries was successfully synthesized by a sol-gel process. It had a cation disordered rock salt structure and showed an excellent cycle stability at room temperature. After coating with carbon, the Li₂CoTiO ₄ possessed a high discharge capacity of 144.3 mAh g^-1. The poor conductivity and lithium ion diffusion coefficient of pure Li ₂CoTiO₄ are the main reasons for the limited electrochemical performance of the lithium batteries. The irreversible capacity loss during the first cycle was assigned to the irreversibility of the structural changes.