Investigation of MgTiO3 as an anode material for rechargeable Li-ion batteries

Magnesium Titanate (MgTiO₃) is a common and commercially available dielectric material used in electronics applications. The potential of using MgTiO₃ as an anode material in rechargeable Li-ion batteries has been investigated under this study. MgTiO₃ particles were synthesized by both wet-chemical Pechini method and solid state ball milling method. The subsequent material characterizations were carried out using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic techniques. The electrochemical performance of MgTiO₃ as an anode material in Li-ion rechargeable battery was carried out with Li metal electrode in coin half cells. For wet-chemically synthesized MgTiO₃, the potentials associated with lithiation were 1.14 V and 0.76 V vs Li/Li⁺ with an initial discharge capacity of 103 mAh/g at C/10 rate. Lithiation potential for ball milled MgTiO₃ was found to be at 1.3 V vs Li/Li⁺ with an initial discharge of 63 mAh/g cycled at C/10 rate.