Electrochemical properties of LiMn2O4 cathode material doped with an actinide

Metal substation as an efficient approach for improvement of battery performance of LiMn2O4 was performed by an actinide dopant. Uranium as the last natural element and most common actinide was employed for this purpose. Cyclic voltammetric studies revealed that incorporation of uranium into LiMn2O4 spinel significantly improves electrochemical performance. It also strengthens the spinel stability to exhibit better cycleability. Surprisingly, the capacity increases upon cycling of LiU0.01Mn1.99O4 cathode. This inverse behavior is attributed to uniform distribution of dopant during insertion/extraction process. In other words, this is an electrochemical refinement of the nanostructure which is not detectable in microscale morphology, as rearrangement of dopant in nanoscale occurs and this is an unexceptional nanostructural ordering. In addition, uranium doping strengthens the Li diffusion, particularly at redox potentials.