A novel method for preparation of macroposous lithium nickel manganese oxygen as cathode material for lithium ion batteries

A simple one-step route using gas template method is applied to synthesize macroporous LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 which is characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Telle (BET) surface area, charge–discharge tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The as-synthesized material shows pure crystalline phase of LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2, while the microstructure is comprised of macrospores ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 μm. The first discharge capacity is of 174 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C rate, which is much higher than that of the material synthesized by the conventional solid state reaction method. Furthermore, the macroporous LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 material shows remarkable rate capacity and cycle stability, which may be attributed to the shorter lithium ion diffusion distance and better electrolyte penetration.

Research highlights
► The intrinsic poor electronic conductivity of layered LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 cathode material limits its wide application.
► In this study, pure phase, well-crystallized macroporous LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 was prepared by a simple one-step route using gas template.
► The as-synthesized LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 has much higher first discharge capacity than the material synthesized by conventional solid state reaction method.
► Furthermore, the macroporous LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 material also possesses remarkable rate capacity and cycle stability.