Facile one step synthesis method of spinel LiMn₂O₄ cathode material for lithium batteries

This study succeeded to prepare three pure phases of Mn₂O₃, Mn₃O₄ beside one of the best cathode materials, spinel LiMn₂O₄. LiMn₂O₄ with high phase purity and crystallinity was synthesized by a facile, cost effective and one step synthesis method. The structure and morphology of the powders were studied in detail by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and surface area. The X-ray diffraction shows that the post-annealing process reveals the formation of pure crystalline spinel LiMn₂O₄ with small particle size and lower lattice strain. The thermogravimetric analysis threw the light on the role of the evaporation technique in producing LiMn₂O₄ by following the different phases on the thermal performance of the precursor. The morphological characterization shows the clear appearance of the octahedral particles of LiMn₂O₄ calcined at high temperature with microporous nanosized structure. Electrochemical testing of the as prepared spinel at 900 °C showed promising results in terms of high initial capacity and good cycle stability. The as prepared spinel sample shows also good rate performance.