Synthesis and Characterization of Cu Doped LiCoO<sub>2</sub> Cathode Material for Lithium Batteries Using Microwave Assisted Sol-Gel Synthesis

Abstract

LiCoO2 is the most studied cathode material for lithium batteries. The doping effect gives a better cycle life in such materials. Apart from the doping effect, the preparation technique also plays an important role. Presently, the layer structured Cu doped LiCoO2 cathode material has been prepared via microwave assisted sol gel route; better cycle life and capacity retention have been attained. It was found that this method could reduce the synthesis time to 30 minutes. The espousal of the microwave method in synthesis could develop a highly efficient, low cost process for synthesis. The surface morphology of the material has been observed using SEM and it is inhomogeneous in nature. The capacity retention is higher than that of pure LiCoO2 material. Compositional analysis was made through EDX. The Cu doped material has a voltage plateau about 4.0V which is obtained from the cyclic voltammetry.