One-pot pyro synthesis of a nanosized-LiMn₂O₄/C cathode with enhanced lithium storage properties

A simple one-pot polyol-assisted pyro-technique has been adopted to synthesize highly crystalline, carbon-coated LiMn₂O₄ (LMO/C) nanoparticles for use as a cathode material in rechargeable Li-ion battery (LIB) applications. The phase purity, structure and stoichiometry of the prepared cathode was confirmed using X-ray techniques that included high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Electron microscopy studies established that the synthetic technique facilitated the production of nano-sized LMO particles with uniform carbon coating. The prepared LMO/C cathode demonstrates excellent electrochemical properties (cycling stabilities of 86% and 77.5% and high rate capabilities of 79% and 36% within the potential windows of 3.3-4.3 V and 2.5-4.3 V, respectively). The high electrochemical performance of the LMO/C cathode is attributed to the nano-size of the LiMn₂O₄ particles enabling high surface area and hence greater lithium insertion and also the uniform amorphous carbon coating facilitating effective reduction in manganese dissolution and volume expansion during the lithium de-intercalation/intercalation reactions. In addition, cyclic voltametry and impedance characterization confirm the reversible Li-intercalation and the role of the solid electrolyte interface layer (SEI) in the stable electrochemical reaction of the LMO/C electrode. Furthermore, this study shows the efficacy of a simple and low-cost pyro-synthetic method to realize high performance nano-sized particle electrodes with uniform carbon coating for useful energy storage applications.