Structure and electrical properties of lithium nickel manganese oxide (LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2) prepared by P123 assisted hydrothermal route

•We prepared phase pure LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 using polymer P123 as a capping agent.•The role of hydrothermal treatment was emphasized.•The electrical properties of the material was explored by AC impedance technique.•Total electrical conductivity was compared with 4-probe DC conductivity.

Lithium nickel manganese oxide (LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2) cathode material was prepared using the triblock polymer Pluronic (P123) as a capping agent by hydrothermal method. The XRD analysis shows the importance of preparation conditions to prepare phase pure LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 compound. FTIR and Raman analysis confirmed the layered hexagonal structure. SEM and particle size analysis show the presence of submicron sized particles and few percentages of nanosized particles as secondary distribution. The electrical conductivity of the compound LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 was measured by AC impedance and four-probe DC measurements and compared. The total electrical conductivity of the compound was found to be 2.4 × 10− 6 S/cm. A mixed ionic and electronic conduction was observed from the transference number measurement.