Electrical relaxation studies of olivine type nanocrystalline LiMPO4 (M=Ni, Mn and Co) materials

Abstract

The olivine type LiMPO4 (M=Ni, Mn and Co) materials were synthesized by solution combustion technique using glycine as fuel. The structural characterizations were explored to confirm the phase formation of materials. The scanning electron microscope was used to identify the morphology of olivine materials. The local structure and chemical bonding between MO6 octahedral and (PO4)3- tetrahedral groups were probed by Raman spectroscopy. Grain and grain boundaries were contributed for ion relaxation and dc conduction in olivine materials. Two orders of enhancement in ionic conductivity was observed in these olivine materials than the reported value. Among all the explored olivine samples, LiMnPO4 showed highest enhancement in conductivity due to weak Li–O bonding and largest unit cell volume.