Synthesis of Amorphous TiO2 Nanoparticles with a High Surface Area and Their Transformation to Li4Ti5O12 Nanoparticles

Pure lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12) nanoparticles were synthesized at low temperature via a new simple method. First, amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles with a high surface area (624 m2 g−1) were prepared by using tetrahydrofuran (THF) as a solvent in the hydrolysis reaction of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) at room temperature. Pure Li4Ti5O12 nanoparticles with a particle size of 10–30 nm were obtained by introducing Li+ into the amorphous TiO2 nanoparticles at room temperature.