Cr and Ni doping of Li4Ti5O12: cation distribution and functional properties

Cr- and Ni-doped Li4Ti5O12 compound has been characterized through the combined use of X-ray powder diffraction, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), 7Li nuclear magnetic resonance magic-angle spinning (NMR-MAS), micro-Raman, and magnetization measurements. The doping, occurring on the octahedral site of the cubic Li4Ti5O12 spinel lattice, strongly affects both the local and the average structural properties. The glassy character of the observed EPR signals suggests structural disorder in the stable Li4Ti5O12 matrix and the presence of clustering phenomena or nonhomogeneous distribution of the dopant ion, as also supported by 7Li NMR-MAS, micro-Raman, and magnetization results. The computation by numerical method of the complex EPR signal of the Cr-doped sample suggests that both CrTi and CrLi substitutions occur, giving rise to two distinct EPR components, corresponding to opposite axial distortion of the relative octahedral environments. On the basis of the compositional data, defect models involving oxygen or cation vacancies are proposed to explain the conductivity of the doped material.