Li4Ti5O12 is an important type of anode material for rechargeable Li battery due to its excellent cycling and thermal reliability, but the poor conductivity represents a significant challenge in the scalable application. Here we design a ternary Li4Ti5O12/TiO2@CNT core/shell structure to well mitigate the conductivity issue. The hybrid core/shell structure is fabricated by a facile hydrothermal reaction followed by heat treatment at 600 degrees C. It is comprised of Li4Ti5O12/TiO2 nanocrystals several nanometers in dimension tightly anchored on CNT network. The CNT network provides a fast and robust conductive way for electron transport, while the minor rutile-TiO2 phase improves the kinetics of Li4Ti5O12 toward fast lithium insertion/extraction. The electrochemical results indicate that the core/shell structure displays a high electrochemical activity in terms of reversible capacity and rate capability. The hybrid structure also shows excellent long-term cycling stability when operated at a high rate of 5 C.
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