Nano-sized cathode material LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4/C synthesized via improved sol-gel routine and its magnetic and electrochemical properties

• Published in: Electrochimica acta Vol. 255; pp. 205 - 211
• Main Authors: Liu, Liying, Chen, Guiyuan, Du, Bingtian, Cui, Yanyan, Ke, Xi, Liu, Jun, Guo, Zaiping, Shi, Zhicong, Zhang, Haiyan, Chou, Shulei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 20.11.2017
• Subjects: cathode material; lithium ion battery; lithium iron phosphate; lithium manganese phosphate; magnetic property; lithium iron phosphate; lithium manganese phosphate; cathode material; magnetic property; lithium ion battery
• ISSN: 0013-4686; 1873-3859
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2017.09.165

Cathode materials LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4/C and LiMnPO4/C were synthesized by a high-energy ball-milling assisted sol-gel method. The LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4 consists of nanorods and nanoparticles homogeneously wrapped with highly ordering carbon. The increased Néel-temperature and decreased effective magnetic moment of LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4/C revealed the microstructure differences from LiMnPO4/C. Meanwhile, tiny amount of ferromagnetic impurities is detected in LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4/C by magnetic tests. The synergetic effects of Fe substitution and carbon coating remarkably improve rate capacity and cyclic stability of LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4/C. This solid solution delivers initial discharge capacities of 128.6mAhg−1 and 116.3mAhg−1 and capacity retentions of 93.5% and 90.3% after 100 cycles at 1C and 2C respectively, significantly better than LiMnPO4/C.