The influence of holding time on the performance of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode for lithium ion battery

The development of heterogeneous LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 spinel for high power lithium ion battery applications has been investigated during last decades. In this study, LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode materials are successfully prepared with sol–gel method, and the influence of holding time on performances of the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode is investigated. The results show that the holding time has a remarkable effect on the crystallinity, the morphology, the purity, the Mn3+ amount, and the grain size distribution, then further impacts the related electrochemical behaviors. We find that a decomposition reaction of the spinel occurs when an overlong holding time is used to synthesize the spinel powder, and the rate performance is directly related with the Mn3+ amount. We experimentally suggest that the compound sintered for 18 h exhibits the good electrochemical response in terms of both cycling and rate properties.