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Atomic Insights into Ti Doping on the Stability Enhancement of Truncated Octahedron LiMn2O4 Nanoparticles
Wangqiong Xu1, Hongkai Li1, Yonghui Zheng1
1Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices (MOE) and Department of Electronics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
Abstract:
Ti-doped truncated octahedron LiTiMn2-O4 nanocomposites were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal treatment and calcination process. By using spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (Cs-STEM), the effects of Ti-doping on the structure evolution and stability enhancement of LiMn2O4 are revealed. It is found that truncated octahedrons are easily formed in Ti doping LiMn2O4 material. Structural characterizations reveal that most of the Ti4+ ions are composed into the spinel to form a more stable spinel LiTiMn2-O4 phase framework in bulk. However, a portion of Ti4+ ions occupy 8a sites around the {001} plane surface to form a new TiMn2O4-like structure. The combination of LiTiMn2-O4 frameworks in bulk and the TiMn2O4-like structure at the surface may enhance the stability of the spinel LiMn2O4. Our findings demonstrate the critical role of Ti doping in the surface chemical and structural evolution of LiMn2O4 and may guide the design principle for viable electrode materials.
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