Microemulsion-assisted synthesis of nanosized Li-Mn-O spinel cathodes for high-rate lithium-ion batteries

• Main Authors: Rui, Xianhong, Sun, Wenping, Yan, Qingyu, Lim, Tuti Mariana, Skyllas-Kazacos, Maria
• Other Authors: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Materials::Nanostructured materials
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/103935; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/24606
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Li1.16Mn1.84O4 nanoparticles (50–90 nm) with cubic spinel structure are synthesized by combining a microemulsion process to produce ultrafine Mn(OH)2 nanocrystals (3–8 nm) with a solid-state lithiation step. The nanostructured lithium-rich Li1.16Mn1.84O4 shows stable cycling performance and superior rate capabilities as compared with the corresponding bulk material, for example, the nano-sized Li1.16Mn1.84O4 electrode shows stable reversible capacities of 74 mAh g−1 during the 1000th cycle at a high rate of 40 C between 3.0 and 4.5 V. In addition, Li1.16Mn1.84O4 nanoparticles also show high Li storage properties over an enlarged voltage window of 2.0–4.5 V with high capacities and stable cyclability, for example, delivering discharge capacities of 209 and 114 mAh g−1 at rates of 1 and 20 C, respectively.