Hydrothermal Synthesis of Lithium Lanthanum Titanate

Lithium lanthanum titanate (LLTO) is a very promising material due to its ability to conduct lithium ions. It has many potential applications in the field of lithium batteries and sensors. Typical synthesis methods include solid-state reaction and sol–gel synthesis. We report a novel solvothermal synthesis method that produces almost single-phase LLTO samples at significantly reduced costs. The samples thus obtained were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and chemical analysis. The results obtained for the newly synthesized samples were compared with results obtained from samples prepared using the solid-state reaction method. The XRD data show the formation of orthorhombic LLTO for the solvothermal synthesis, tetragonal LLTO for the hydrothermal synthesis, and cubic LLTO for the solid-state reaction. Additionally, XRD showed that the solid-state reaction of LLTO is a multi-stage process in which intermediary compounds such as La2Ti2O7 are formed. The bulk ionic conductivity of the LLTO samples produced through the solvothermal and hydrothermal processes is estimated at 10−4 S/cm, and the grain boundary conductivity is estimated at 10−6 S/cm.