Facile one step synthesis method of spinel LiMn(2)O(4) cathode material for lithium batteries

This study succeeded to prepare three pure phases of Mn(2)O(3), Mn(3)O(4) beside one of the best cathode materials, spinel LiMn(2)O(4). LiMn(2)O(4) 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 LiMn(2)O(4) with small particle size and lower lattice strain. The thermogravimetric analysis threw the light on the role of the evaporation technique in producing LiMn(2)O(4) by following the different phases on the thermal performance of the precursor. The morphological characterization shows the clear appearance of the octahedral particles of LiMn(2)O(4) 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.