Synthesis of spinel LiMn 2O 4 cathode material prepared by an adipic acid-assisted sol–gel method for lithium secondary batteries

Abstract

The spinel LiMn 2O 4 powders were synthesized at 300–800°C for 10 h in air by a sol–gel method using adipic acid as a chelating agent. The dependence of the physicochemical properties of the spinel LiMn 2O 4 powders such as crystallinity, lattice constant a, and specific surface area on calcination temperature and adipic acid quantity was extensively investigated. The physicochemical properties of the LiMn 2O 4 powders could be controlled by simply varying the processing condition of pyrolysis and the quantity of chelating agent. The charge–discharge characteristics and the cycling behavior of Li/1 M LiBF 4–EC/DEC electrolyte/LiMn 2O 4 cells revealed that LiMn 2O 4 electrode calcined at higher temperatures showed a high initial capacity, while the electrode calcined at lower temperatures exhibited a good cycling behavior.