An Environmentally Friendly and Cost-Effective Route to LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 Crystals: Structure, Morphology Evolution, and Electrochemical Properties

Abstract

A green and economical process based on the room-temperature solid-state reactions is developed to synthesize LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4, and the effects of sintering temperature and lithium excess on the structure, morphology and performance are investigated in detail. The measurements reveal that the performance of the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 is highly dependent on the crystal morphology and integrity which are significantly influenced by the sintering temperature, and the results demonstrate that well-crystallized octahedral-like crystals with superior electrochemical performance can be readily synthesized by the new developed route at a moderate sintering temperature of 800 °C with a small lithium excess of 3%.