Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of LiMn2O4 nanoparticles with excellent rate performance

LiMn2O4 nanoparticles have been prepared by adding poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) through a one-step hydrothermal method while PVP acts as reducing reagent. The dosage of PVP is studied and LiMn2O4 prepared with 10 mL PVP solution (10-LMO) shows high capacity and excellent cycling property during galvanostatic charge/discharge test. Initial discharge capacity of 112 mAh g−1 can be delivered at 5 C while the capacity retention is 93% after 100 cycles. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results demonstrate that the 10-LMO electrode has the lowest resistance. So the migration and diffusion of Li+ at the electrode surface of 10-LMO electrode is fast, resulting excellent rate performance.

► LiMn2O4 nanoparticles were prepared by adding PVP.
► PVP acted as reducing agent in the hydrothermal reaction.
► LiMn2O4 prepared with 10 mL PVP (10-LMO) showed excellent rate performance.
► The resistance of 10-LMO electrode was lower than others.
► The migration and diffusion of Li+ of 10-LMO electrode was faster.