Solid-state reaction synthesis and characterization of Mn-doped LiFePO4 cathode material

Abstract

Olivine type LiFePO4 has great advantages for Li-ion batteries due to its non-toxicity, high safety, and good cycle life performance. However, its low-rate capability and low energy density make some challenges for this LiFePO4. Several methods like doping with transition metals were used, and Mn ion was used in this work to improve the overall electrochemical properties. LiMn x Fe1-x PO4 is promising cathode material owing to high voltage, structural and chemical stability. However, the electrochemical performance of these materials depends on phases and structures obtained from synthesis. In this work, the effect of solid-state reaction conditions, including calcination temperature and duration, on morphology, structure, and electrochemical properties of LiMn x Fe1-x PO4 cathode materials with the composition of x = 0.5 was investigated. The morphology, crystallography and local structure of the synthesized materials were examined by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), respectively. The surface area was also determined by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) model. The effect of calcination temperature and reaction time upon the morphology, structures of the synthesized cathode materials were studied and discussed. The results could be essential for further development and employment of LiMn x Fe1-x PO4 in Li-ion batteries.