Preparation and electrochemical properties of LiMn2O4 by a rheological-phase-assisted microwave synthesis method

By using LiCO3 and MnO2, a rheological-phase-assisted microwave synthesis method has been applied in the fast preparation of spinel LiMn2O4 in order to reduce the cost of cathode materials. Comparing with the pristine LiMn2O4 obtained by the traditional solid-state reaction method, the structure and surface morphology of the samples synthesized by the rheological-phase-assisted microwave synthesis method have been investigated. The powders were used as positive materials for lithium-ion battery, whose charge/discharge properties and cycle performance have been examined in detail. As a result, the powders prepared by the rheologicalphase-assisted microwave synthesis method at 750 degrees C are pure spinel LiMn2O4 with regular shapes and uniform distribution, which exhibit higher capacity and much better reversibility than the sample prepared by the traditional solid-state reaction.