Abstract
The sol-gel process of citric acid chelating with metal cations for the synthesis of normal spinel LiMn2O4 and the reaction mechanism were investigated by means of XRD, IR, TG-DTA and SEM. The results show that at the beginning lithium citrate and chelate compound of citric acid with manganese ions formed, and then with heating the esterification and condensation reactions occured between them and glycol. The products obtained are polymers in which metal cations are distributed homogenously on atomic scale that ensure high reactivity to cations of Li+ and Mn2+. Firing the gel prepared by this process, the lattice diffusions of solid reactant ions caused by non-homogeneity of reactants are eliminated and avoided. At 400°C phase-pure LiMn2O4 with nanometer scale crystallization having precise stoichiometry and perfect crystallization can be obtained. The model of chelate coordinate of double-molecule between citric acid and Mn2+ in the gel network is proposed. It is important for explaining the dispersion state of Mn2+ and the formation process of gel by this model.
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