Electrical and optical properties of TiO2 in accumulation and of lithium titanate Li0.5TiO2

Changes in the optical absorption and electrical conductivity of dense and mesoporous anatase TiO2 films were measured in situ as a function of electr ode potential during electrochemical lithium intercalation. A special two-e lectrode geometry was used for the conductivity measurements, in which the contacts were separated by a small gap bridged by the TiO2. When electrons are injected, an accumulation layer is formed and the conductivity increase s several orders of magnitude. A monotonic increase of the optical absorpti on with wavelength confirms the presence of (partially) delocalized electro ns. Insertion of lithium ions results in the formation of the Li0.5TiO2 pha se and a decrease of the overall conductance. The specific conductivity of the Li0.5TiO2 phase is (9.1 +/-0.2) S/cm, significantly lower than that of Li-doped anatase TiO2. This is corroborated by the absorption spectrum of L i0.5TiO2, which shows two pronounced peaks around 440 and 725 nm and no cha racteristic free-electron features. At potentials below 1.7 V vs Li additio nal lithium could be inserted into Li0.5TiO2, and the conductance was found to increase again. The results are discussed in terms of possible changes in the electronic structure that are induced by the insertion of lithium io ns. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.