Flame synthesis of 5 V spinel-LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode-materials for lithium-ion rechargeable-batteries

The lithium transition metal oxide LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ with an space group (SG) structure has shown great potential as a cathode material for 5 V lithium-ion rechargeable-batteries. In this work, a flame-assisted spray technology (FAST) was developed to produce nanostructured LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ powder in a continuous manner. The as-synthesized powder had a uniform morphology, was spherical in shape and had a nanocrystalline structure, as observed by SEM and TEM. The XRD pattern of the as-synthesized powder matched the spectrum of spinel-LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄. The average grain size was about 16 nm, as calculated by XRD. However, XRD also indicated the impurity Mn₂NiO₄ in the powder. By varying flame temperature, it was possible to show that the impurity was formed due to the high temperature of the flame. While flame temperature was minimized by lowering the H₂/N₂ ratio, it was not possible to completely eliminate Mn₂NiO₄ from the as-synthesized powder. After annealing at 800 °C for 2 h, the impurity was eliminated, and the XRD pattern of the powder indicated a pure-phase spinel structure with an SG. The electrochemical performance of the flame-synthesized LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ powder was tested in coin-type test batteries that were charged and discharged at constant current under a 5 V potential. The test cells showed the characteristic voltage plateaus of spinel-LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ ( SG). The material proved to be electrochemically active as a cathode material for lithium-ion rechargeable-batteries.