Molten salt synthesis of spherical LiNi 0.5Mn 1.5O 4 cathode materials

Abstract

This paper describes a novel simple redox process for synthesizing monodispersed MnO 2 powders and preparation of spherical LiNi 0.5Mn 1.5O 4 cathode materials by molten salt synthesis (MSS) method. Monodispersed MnO 2 powders have been synthesized by using potassium permanganate and manganese sulfate as the starting materials. By using this redox method, it was found that monodispersed MnO 2 powders with average particle size ∼5 μm can be easily obtained. Resultant MnO 2 and LiOH, Ni(OH) 2 was then used to synthesis LiNi 0.5Mn 1.5O 4 cathode materials with retention of spherical particle shape by MSS method. The discharge capacity was 129 mAh g −1 in the first cycle and 127 mAh g −1 after 50 cycles under an optimal synthesis condition for 12 h at 800 °C.