Li-ion full cell using LiFePO4 and Mn3O4-mesoporous carbon composite as electrodes for energy storage applications

Abstract

In the present work, an eco-friendly and low-cost lithium-ion full cell assembled using Mn3O4-mesoporous (MnMC) composite anode and LiFePO4 cathode (LFP) is investigated for energy storage applications. Hydrothermally synthesized Mn3O4 nanoflakes with a length of 40-50 nm are physically mixed with mesoporous carbon (MC) to obtain MnMC nanocomposite, and sol-gel method in the presence of citric acid is employed to synthesize the cathode material LiFePO4. The structural and morphological details of LFP cathode are investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) techniques and the electrochemical performance is evaluated by assembling half cells with lithium metal as the counter electrode. The MnMC nanocomposite is pre-lithiated and combined with LFP cathode for the full lithium ion cell with a cathode limiting capacity. The LFP-MnMC full cells exhibit reversible capacity of the LFP cathode and show good cycling stability with a capacity retention of 66% and the average Coulombic efficiency is found to be 98% after 100 cycles.