Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) batteries represent a significant advancement in battery technology. Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries that use graphite anodes, LTO batteries utilize lithium titanate as their negative electrode material. This substitution brings forth several advantages, including enhanced stability and safety.
A lithium-titanate battery is a modified lithium-ion battery that uses lithium-titanate nanocrystals, instead of carbon, on the surface of its anode. This gives the anode a surface area of about 100 square meters per gram, compared with 3 square meters per gram for carbon, allowing electrons to enter and leave the anode quickly.
Lithium titanate batteries come with several notable advantages: Fast Charging: One of the standout features of LTO batteries is their ability to charge rapidly—often within minutes—making them ideal for applications that require quick recharging.
When lithium titanate is used as the positive electrode material and paired with metal lithium or lithium alloy negative electrodes, LTO batteries can achieve a voltage of 1.5V. These alternative configurations are utilized in specialized applications where specific voltage requirements and enhanced performance characteristics are essential. 1.
Enhanced Security and Stability: Lithium-ion titanate batteries exhibit higher potential compared to pure metal lithium, minimizing the formation of lithium dendrites.
A disadvantage of lithium-titanate batteries is their lower inherent voltage (2.4 V), which leads to a lower specific energy (about 30–110 Wh/kg ) than conventional lithium-ion battery technologies, which have an inherent voltage of 3.7 V. Some lithium-titanate batteries, however, have an volumetric energy density of up to 177 Wh/L.