Electrochemically active flame-made nanosized spinels: LiMn2O4, Li4Ti5O12 and LiFe5O8

Electrochemically active LiMn2O4, Li4Ti5O12, and LiFe5O8 particles with spinel structure (normal, mixed and mixed inverse) were made at production rates of 10–20 g h−1 by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP), a scalable, one-step, dry process. These materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption, and had a primary crystallite size in the range of 8–30 nm and exhibited high temperature stability. Electrochemical properties, as measured by slow cyclic voltammetry, are reported for LiMn2O4 and Li4Ti5O12 as potential cathode and anode materials, respectively, in secondary lithium-ion batteries. LiFe5O8 nanoparticles were made also by FSP containing the electrochemically active β-phase as shown by the corresponding cyclic voltammogram and specific charge–discharge spectra.