Mitigating Capacity Decay: The Role of LTO-Based Composites in Advancing Anode Technology

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have emerged as one of the most promising energy storage technologies for portable electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy systems because of their high energy density, long cycle life, and improved operational safety. However, conventional graphite-based anodes suffer from poor high-rate capability and severe capacity fading during prolonged cycling. In this study, a novel LTO-MXene-N composite anode based on lithium titanate oxide (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂) was developed to mitigate capacity decay and enhance electrochemical performance. The proposed composite integrates nitrogen-doped LTO nanoparticles, MXene (Ti₃C₂Tₓ) conductive nanosheets, and a carbon conductive matrix optimized through the Adaptive Hierarchical LTO Composite Optimizer (AHLCO) framework. Structural and electrochemical characterization was carried out using XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Galvanostatic Charge–Discharge (GCD), and Galvanostatic Intermittent Titration Technique (GITT). The developed composite delivered discharge capacities of 176 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1C and 128 mAh g⁻¹ at 10C while retaining 92.6% capacity after 1000 cycles. Furthermore, the charge-transfer resistance decreased from 180 Ω for bare LTO to 45 Ω, and the lithium-ion diffusion coefficient improved from to cm² s⁻¹. These results demonstrate that the synergistic effects of MXene conductive pathways, nitrogen doping, and nanostructured architecture significantly improve lithium-ion transport, cycling stability, and overall battery performance.