Cotton-templated hierarchical porous structures for high power lithium rechargeable batteries

High power full-cells of LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O ₄-Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ are demonstrated by engaging a scalable cotton-templated synthetic process. The cotton-templated method produces hierarchical structures in which primary particles in the range of 100-300 nm form three-dimensional porous secondary structures for both electrodes. While the primary particles in the smaller scales facilitate efficient electronic/ionic diffusion for high rate performance, the three-dimensional porous secondary structures remain stable during cycling for excellent cycle life. The synthetic method introduced herein is simple and universal, and should thus be applicable to other battery materials requiring high power performance.