Sonochemical synthesis of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 and its electrochemical performance as a cathode material for 5 V Li-ion batteries

•Sonochemical method is used to prepare high voltage spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4.•Sonochemistry has been proven to be green and cost-effective method.•The ICP results of the molar ratios of Li:Ni:Mn are close to 2:1:3.•LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 is a promising cathode material for high voltage Li-ion batteries.•Addition of glucose helps to enhance crystallinity and electrochemical activity.

LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 was synthesized as a cathode material for Li-ion batteries by a sonochemical reaction followed by annealing, and was characterized by XRD, SEM, HRTEM and Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with electrochemical measurements. Two samples were prepared by a sonochemical process, one without using glucose (sample-S1) and another with glucose (sample-S2). An initial discharge specific capacity of 130 mA h g−1 is obtained for LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 at a relatively slow rate of C/10 in galvanostatic charge–discharge cycling. The capacity retention upon 50 cycles at this rate was around 95.4% and 98.9% for sample-S1 and sample-S2, respectively, at 30 °C.