Kinetic aspects of Li intercalation in mechano-chemically processed cathode materials for lithium ion batteries: Electrochemical characterization of ball-milled LiMn2O4

Micrometric LiMn2O4 particles are mechano-chemically modified by ball-milling to obtain a mixture of nano- and micro-scale particles. This mixture is tested as a potential active cathode material for rapid-charge Li ion batteries, and also as a model system for studying the detailed kinetics of Li intercalation/de-intercalation in such electrodes. Ragone plots recorded using galvanostatic measurements indicate enhanced power delivery characteristics of the ball-milled LiMn2O4 compared to its unprocessed counterpart. The processed material also exhibits improved resistance against electrolyte reactions and surface film formation. Due to these advantageous electrochemical attributes, the ball-milled LiMn2O4 serves as an adequately suited system for exploring certain fundamental aspects of Li intercalation in this material. Scan rate dependent slow scan cyclic voltammetry helps to identify the kinetic and diffusion controlled features of Li transport in mechano-chemically processed LiMn2O4. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy substantiates these findings further and provides detailed kinetic parameters, including voltage dependent charge transfer resistance and diffusion coefficient of Li transport.

Research highlights
► Ball-milled LiMn2O4 exhibits improved resistance against electrolyte reactions.
► Ball-milled LiMn2O4 is ideally suited for exploring kinetics of Li intercalation.
► Ragone plots demonstrate power delivery characteristics of the synthesized cathodes.
► Electrochemical techniques probe the kinetics of Li transport in the active material.