Glycerol-assisted gel combustion synthesis of nano-crystalline LiNiVO4 powders for secondary lithium batteries

Glycerol assisted gel combustion route (GGCR) was used for the synthesis of nano-crystalline inverse spinel LiNiVO4 powders, with metal nitrates, citric acid and glycerol for three different total metal ions to glycerol ratios (M/G) as 1: 1, 1:2 and 1:3. In this study, the effect of total metal ion to glycerol ratio on the formation of the nano-crystalline LiNiVO4 phase was investigated and discussed. The thermal behavior and structural coordination of the as prepared as well as the calcined polymeric intermediates at different temperatures were investigated, respectively, using the DSC and FTIR measurements. The microstructure of the polymeric intermediates was identified by taking the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pictures. The formation of the inverse spinel LiNiVO4 phase, obtained from the calcined intermediates, was confirmed by comparing the observed X-ray diffraction spectra with the respective JCPDS standard. The crystallite size was calculated using the Scherrer's formula and the smallest crystallite size of 39 rim was observed for the LiNiVO4 powders obtained from the polymeric intermediate, calcined at 450 degreesC for 12 h, synthesized using the GGCR with M/G = 1:1. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.