Modified KCl Molten Salt Method Synthesis of Spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with Loose Structure as Cathodes for Li-ion Batteries

Abstract

Spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) with a loose structure is successfully synthesized through a modified KCl molten salt method for the first time. Firstly, the precursor is prepared by a sol-gel method, and then it is calcined with LiOH and the KCl molten salt to synthesize the product. To evaluate the effect of the synthesis conditions on the formation of spinel LNMO, the molten salt and calcination atmosphere are investigated in detail. The structure and morphology of the materials are characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The LNMO synthesized under optimized condition exhibits a loose morphology consisting of 500-800 nm particles and more excellent electrochemical performance especially in the rate performance, receiving a discharge capacity of 108.3 mAh g-1 at 10 C. The superior performance is attributed to both the loose structure and uniform particle.