Optimized Morphology and Tuning the Mn³⁺ Content of LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ Cathode Material for Li-Ion Batteries

The advantages of cobalt-free, high specific capacity, high operating voltage, low cost, and environmental friendliness of spinel LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (LNMO) material make it one of the most promising cathode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. The disproportionation reaction of Mn³⁺ leads to Jahn-Teller distortion, which is the key issue in reducing the crystal structure stability and limiting the electrochemical stability of the material. In this work, single-crystal LNMO was synthesized successfully by the sol-gel method. The morphology and the Mn³⁺ content of the as-prepared LNMO were tuned by altering the synthesis temperature. The results demonstrated that the LNMO_110 material exhibited the most uniform particle distribution as well as the presence of the lowest concentration of Mn³⁺, which was beneficial to ion diffusion and electronic conductivity. As a result, this LNMO cathode material had an optimized electrochemical rate performance of 105.6 mAh g^-1 at 1 C and cycling stability of 116.8 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 C after 100 cycles.