Efficient microwave hydrothermal synthesis of nanocrystalline orthorhombic LiMnO2 cathodes for lithium batteries

✍ Scribed by Hongmei Ji; Gang Yang; Xiaowei Miao; Anqin Hong

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 705 KB
• Volume: 55
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0013-4686
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2010.01.010

✦ Synopsis

Rod-like orthorhombic LiMnO 2 nanocrystals were successfully synthesized using temperature-controlled microwave hydrothermal route (TCMH) in a short time (30 min) at a temperature as low as 160 • C. o-LiMnO 2 obtained by two different methods was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemistry test. SEM revealed that the product obtained in case of TCMH was rod-like with a diameter of 40 nm, while the nanoparticles with 200 nm diameter were obtained by traditional hydrothermal route (TH). The dramatic formation of o-LiMnO 2 in the microwave hydrothermal field influenced the morphology and crystal structure of the final products. The formation and preferred growth orientation mechanism of o-LiMnO 2 in the microwave irradiation process was discussed. Electrochemistry performance exhibited that the as-synthesized o-LiMnO 2 nanorods reached the maximum discharge capacity of 194.2 mAh g -1 at 0.1 C rate after several cycles between 2.2 and 4.4 V vs. Li + /Li at room temperature, which was higher than the electrochemical performance of o-LiMnO 2 obtained by TH. The experimental results showed that the TCMH method provided an effective way for preparing o-LiMnO 2 cathode material in lithium-ion batteries.