Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry (2018) 22:1963–1969

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-018-3884-4

ORIGINAL PAPER

Co-precipitation spray-drying synthesis and electrochemical

performance of stabilized LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode materials
Ya Ma 1,2 & Lishi Wang 2 & Xiaoxi Zuo 1 & Junmin Nan 1

Received: 13 December 2017 / Accepted: 7 January 2018 / Published online: 9 February 2018
# Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018

Abstract
In this paper, the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode materials of lithium-ion batteries are synthesized by a co-precipitation spray-drying and
calcining process. The use of a spray-drying process to form particles, followed by a calcination treatment at the optimized
temperature of 750 °C to produce spherical LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 particles with a cubic crystal structure, a specific surface area of
60.1 m2 g−1, a tap density of 1.15 g mL−1, and a specific capacity of 132.9 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C. The carbon nanofragment (CNF)
additives, introduced into the spheres during the co-precipitation spray-drying period, greatly enhance the rate performance and
cycling stability of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4. The sample with 1.0 wt.% CNF calcined at 750 °C exhibits a maximum capacity of
131.7 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C and a capacity retention of 98.9% after 100 cycles. In addition, compared to the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 material
without CNF, the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with CNF demonstrates a high-rate capacity retention that increases from 69.1% to 95.2% after
100 cycles at 10 C, indicating an excellent rate capability. The usage of CNF and the synthetic method provide a promising choice
for the synthesis of a stabilized LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode material.

Keywords Lithium-ion battery . LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 . Spray-drying synthesis . Carbon nanofragment (CNF) . Electrochemical
performance

Introduction
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have great potential as a power
source for electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electrical vehicles
(HEVs), and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) due to their
Highlights
1. Micro/nanostructured LiNi0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 is synthesized by a co-
precipitation spray-drying and calcining process.
2. Carbon nano-fragment (CNF) is introduced into the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
particles to improve the conductivity and protect the surface of sub-
particles.
3. CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 shows the enhanced electrochemical
performance.
* Lishi Wang
wanglsh@scut.edu.cn
* Junmin Nan
jmnan@scnu.edu.cn
1 evitably limits its practical applications [11].
School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal
University, Guangzhou 510006, People’s Republic of China
2 coating treatment are generally used to synthesize and stabi-
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China
University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, People’s Republic of
China
high energy density, long cycle life, acceptable cost, and en-
vironmental friendliness [1–3]. Correspondingly, these appli-
cations also drive a further promotion of LIBs in terms of
energy and power parameters. Innovative electrode materials
play an important role regarding these improvements [4].
Among the well-known cathode materials, LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
has been regarded as one of the most promising materials
due to its higher discharge platform (4.7 V vs. Li+/Li), larger
theoretical capacity (147 mAh g−1), and lower cost compared
with commercial LiCoO2 [5–7]. The strikingly high voltage
can supply LIBs with an extended working potential as well as
greater energy and higher power densities simultaneously.
However, because of the unique 4.7 V voltage and elemental
composition, the methods to decrease the capacity fading of
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 must be developed to inhibit the electrolyte
oxidation decomposition and the Mn dissolution [8–10].
Meanwhile, the relatively low conductivity of
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 results in poor high-rate performance and in-
As a common method, a solid-state process and a surface
lize LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with high electrochemical performance
[12, 13]. The coating modification not only prevents the direct
1964
contact of the electrolyte with the inner elements but also
improves the reversible capacity, cycle performance, and rate
capability of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4. As a result, the oxidation de-
composition of the electrolyte and the disproportionation re-
action of Mn3+ can be reduced, and subsequently, the struc-
tural stability of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 will be increased. However,
the unalloyed surface coating treatment cannot increase the
bulk conductivity of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 powders, and the surface
protection of subparticles is generally ignored as well.
Therefore, selecting an appropriate material to modify
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 in a suitable volume remains a challenge.
Recently, graphene has attracted considerable attention in
surface modification owing to its high electronic conductivity,
large surface area, and excellent structural stability [14].
Designing a LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4-graphene composite structure
has been demonstrated as an efficient way to improve electro-
chemical performance by providing a highly conductive ma-
trix [15]. However, some negative aspects of graphene such as
hydrophobic nature, irreversible agglomeration, and low elec-
trocatalytic ability must also be considered. Thus, it is neces-
sary to develop new additives and techniques to improve the
performance of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4. In our previous studies, novel
graphene-like carbon nanofragment (CNF) derived from the
waste graphite of LIBs has been investigated [16, 17]. These
CNF display an irregular morphology, a broad size distribu-
tion with a minimum size of ~ 15 nm and a maximum size of
~ 2 μm, and a higher thickness/size ratio than that of graphene.
The unique nanostructure, graphitic structure, and enhanced
electrocatalytic activity of the CNF expand their potential ap-
plication in the electronic, electrocatalytic, and electrochemi-
cal energy-storage fields. In this paper, we synthesized
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode materials with nano-micro structures
by a co-precipitation spray-drying and calcining process, and
successfully introduced the CNF into the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
spheres during the co-precipitation spray-drying period.
CNF not only increases the bulk conductivity of
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 powders but also protects the surface of sub-
particles. The CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 exhibits the en-
hanced rate capability and cyclability, indicating the positive
effect of CNF as a potential modifying substance in high-
voltage LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode material.
Experimental
Preparation of materials
The LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 and CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 pow-
ders were synthesized by a co-precipitation spray-drying and
calcining process. In a typical synthesis of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4, a
stoichiometric ratio of MnSO4·H2O (3 mol L−1) and NiSO4·
6H2O (1 mol L−1) solutions was mixed together in a beaker,
and then, an (NH4)2C2O4 (2 mol L−1) solution was uniformly
J Solid State Electrochem (2018) 22:1963–1969
dropped through a peristaltic pump under a magnetic stirring
condition, and the temperature was maintained at 55 °C for
12 h to obtain a Ni 0.5 Mn 1.5 (C 2 O 4 ) 2 suspension. The
Ni0.5Mn1.5(C2O4)2 suspension was washed to remove SO42−,
and then, stoichiometric LiOH·H2O with an excess of 5% was
added to the obtained suspension. After that, the mixed sus-
pension was sprayed using a mini-spray dryer (SP-1500
Shunyi, China) at an inlet/outlet temperature of 250 °C/
130 °C and a suspension inlet rate of 6 mL min−1. The
spray-dried materials were preheated at 550 °C for 5 h, follow-
ed by a calcination treatment at 750, 800, 850, and 900 °C in a
muffle furnace under a nitrogen atmosphere for 12 h with an
initial heating rate of 5 °C min−1 to obtain the final products.
For the CNF-modified samples, the predetermined 1 and
3 wt.% CNFs with respect to LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 were mixed with
the washed Ni0.5Mn1.5(C2O4)2 suspension, and the other op-
erations were identical to those mentioned above.
Characterization and electrochemical measurements
Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were carried
out with a Bruker D8 Advance Diffractometer with Cu-Kα
radiation in Bragg Brentano configuration, with a scan rate of
2° min−1 in the range of 10° to 80°. Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy (FTIR) patterns were collected in a Nicolet 6700
(USA). The morphologies were characterized by scanning
electronic microscopy (SEM, Zeiss Ultra 55) and transmission
electron microscopy (TEM, JEM-2100, Japan). The specific
surface areas of the samples were measured using the BET
method with an ASAP 2010 adsorption-desorption system
(Micromeritics, USA). The tap density of the samples was
measured as follows: the sample with a weight mass of 2.0 g
was placed into a 5-mL volumetric cylinder, and then tapped
until the sample volume was unchanged; the tap density was
calculated from the mass divided by the volume.
CR2032 coin-type cells were assembled to examine the
electrochemical properties of the as-synthesized
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 materials. The cathode electrodes were pre-
pared with 80 wt.% of active cathode material, 10 wt.% of
carbon black, and 10 wt.% of polyvinylidene fluoride in N-
methyl pyrrolidinone. A Celgard 2400 polypropylene micro-
porous membrane performed as the separator. The electrolyte
consisted of 1 mol L−1 LiPF6 dissolved in an ethylene carbon-
ate and dimethyl carbonate solution (EC/DMC = 1:1, vol-
ume). Pure lithium sheets were used as the anode electrodes.
The cells were assembled in an argon-filled glove box (O2 <
10 ppm and H2O < 1 ppm). The charge−discharge tests were
carried out in the voltage range of 3.5–5.0 V (vs. Li+/Li) using
a multichannel battery tester (New ware, CT-3008 W, China).
The cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance
spectroscopy (EIS) were performed on a CHI-660B electro-
chemical workstation (Chenhua, China) using an AC ampli-
tude of 5 mV and a frequency range of 100 KHz to 0.01 Hz.
J Solid State Electrochem (2018) 22:1963–1969
The EIS experimental data were obtained by model fitting
with vendor-supplied Z-view software. Unless otherwise stat-
ed, the electrochemical evaluations were carried out at an am-
bient temperature.
Results and discussion
Effects of the calcination conditions
To produce a LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 material with high performance,
the calcination conditions are regarded as the most important
steps in this process in addition to the intermediate species
Ni0.5Mn1.5(C2O4)2 and spray-drying shape formation. Thus,
four types of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 samples were synthesized by
calcining the intermediate species obtained from the spray-
drying step at temperatures of 750, 800, 850, and 900 °C
under a nitrogen atmosphere. The effects of the calcination
temperatures on the composition structure and electrochemi-
cal performance of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 were characterized to pro-
duce optimized synthetic conditions.
From the XRD patterns shown in Fig. 1A, the phase com-
position and crystalline structure of four examples can be ob-
tained. All samples are dominated by the spinel phase, their
diffraction peaks are similar, and the sharp and well-defined
peaks are indexed to a typical cubic crystal structure (JCPDS
No. 70-4215). Usually, when the samples were heated above
700 °C, they formed the Ni/Mn-disordered Fd3m
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 phase, which may be due to oxygen deficien-
cies in the spinel structure [18]. As seen from Fig. 1A, the
LixNi1-xO impurity peaks are observed in all samples, and
Fig. 1 XRD patterns (A), 2nd
charge-discharge profiles at 0.1 C
(B), rate performance (C), and
electrochemical impedance
spectra of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
calcined at a 750 °C, b 800 °C, c
850 °C, and d 900 °C (D)
1965
the impurity peaks become increasingly more obvious with
increasing calcination temperature, indicating more impurities
formed at higher temperatures. The loss of oxygen and dispro-
portionate reaction of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 can result in a mixture
of a spinel phase, and the partial reduction of Mn4+ to Mn3+
can lead to a secondary phase, LixNi1–xO [19, 20]. Take into
account the presence of Mn3+, the exact composition or stoi-
chiometry of these samples can be represented as
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4-δ(delta) by introducing a parameter δ (delta)
as a measure of deviation. The value of parameter δ will vary
with the change of calcined temperature. In the subsequent
discussion, a focus to the sample synthesized at 750 °C will
be investigated, and the composition of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 is still
used due to its negligible impurity content. In addition, the
specific surface area and the tap density of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
samples were also affected by the calcining temperature. The
results indicate that with an increase of temperature from 750
to 900 °C, the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 samples exhibit specific surface
areas of 60.1, 53.2, 42.1, and 37.5 m2 g−1 and tap densities of
1.15, 1.32, 1.33, and 1.41 g mL−1. At a higher calcining tem-
perature, the specific surface area of the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 ma-
terial decreased, whereas the tap density increased, which is
beneficial for the charge-discharge performance and energy
density of the electrode.
The typical charge/discharge voltage profiles of the
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4/Li cells with the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode ma-
terial synthesized at different temperatures at 0.1 C are shown
in Fig. 1B. The charge/discharge profiles show similar shapes,
i.e., two plateaus at approximately 4.7 V and a short plateau at
approximately 4.0 V. The two plateaus at approximately 4.7 V
are attributed to the Ni2+/Ni3+ and Ni3+/Ni4+ redox couples.
1966
The short plateau in the 4.0 V region reflects the redox reac-
tion of the Mn3+/Mn4+ couple [21, 22], which suggests the
existence of a small portion of Mn3+. The sample synthesized
at 750 °C exhibits the highest capacity and shortest plateau at
4.0 V, which indicates the lowest Mn3+ content and agrees
with the XRD results. With increasing temperature from 750
to 900 °C, the discharge capacities of these LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
materials decrease from 132.9 to 105.4 mAh g−1, respectively,
indicating that a higher initial capacity can be obtained using a
low calcination temperature.
To evaluate the cyclic stability at different charge-discharge
rates, Fig. 1C shows the rate capacities of these samples at
different rates. It can be seen that the sample synthesized at
750 °C also exhibits a higher rate capacity than those of the
other samples, which deliver capacities of 132.8, 125.6, 112.7,
and 96 mAh g−1 at rates of 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 5 C, respectively. It
is interesting to note that the specific capacity of the sample
synthesized at 750 °C almost returns to its original value soon
after the rate reverses back to 0.1 C, revealing excellent re-
versible capacity and stability, which may result from the ex-
cellent intercalation/deintercalation of Li+ [23]. The results of
electrochemical performance tests agree well with the above
structural analysis, especially regarding the purity of structural
composition. Comprehensively considering the reversible dis-
charge capacity, rate performance, specific surface area, and
tap density, a temperature of 750 °C is regarded as appropriate
for the synthesis of the high-performance LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
samples. As a key parameter, it was also observed that the
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 synthesized at 750 °C exhibited a coulombic
efficiency of above 99.2%, which will favor a stable cycling
performances.
Furthermore, the electrochemical impedance spectra of
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4/Li cells with samples synthesized at different
temperatures were also evaluated, as shown in Fig. 1D. The
plots consist of depressed semicircles at high frequencies that
relate to the charge-transfer resistances and sloping lines in the
low-frequency region that ascribe to the diffusion of lithium
ions in the sample [24]. Obviously, among the four samples,
the sample calcined at 750 °C exhibits the lowest impedance,
and the sample calcined at 900 °C shows the highest imped-
ance, which further indicates that the sample calcined at
Fig. 2 XRD (A) and FTIR (B)
patterns of CNF-modified
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (a pristine; b
1.0 wt.%-CNF; and c 3.0 wt.%
CNF)
J Solid State Electrochem (2018) 22:1963–1969
750 °C has a higher ion conductivity. The charge-transfer
resistances are quite consistent with their electrochemical per-
formance results. These results demonstrate that the high-
voltage LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode material for LIBs can be suc-
cessfully synthesized by the co-precipitation spray-drying and
calcining process, and the material synthesized at 750 °C with
a cubic spinel structure exhibits better electrochemical
properties.
Modification of the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with CNF
As is well known, the low conductivity and composition sta-
bility are urgent problems for LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode mate-
rials. Thus, to enhance the conductivity, protect
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 from the electrolyte attack, and achieve a high
capacity and high-rate performance, a predetermined quantity
of CNF was added to the Ni0.5Mn1.5(C2O4)2 suspension be-
fore the spray-drying operation. Because the dispersed CNF
are nanosized, they can be evenly distributed into the spray-
drying resultant materials, which is the unique characteristic
of the spray-drying method. To further investigate the effect of
the CNF contents on the structural and electrochemical per-
formance of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4, samples a, b, and c were pre-
pared with different CNF contents (0.0, 1.0, and 3.0 wt.%
CNF, respectively) were analyzed. Based on the above results,
the temperature of 750 °C was used to calcine the spray-
drying resultants.
The XRD and FTIR patterns of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4-modified
with CNF are shown in Fig. 2A, B. For a comparison, the
standard XRD data of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 are also presented in
Fig. 2A. It can be seen that the diffraction peaks of samples a,
b, and c match well with the standard data, and their structural
composition is attributable to the orthorhombic phase of
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (JCPDS No. 70-4215, Fd3m space group).
The peaks become weaker with increasing amounts of CNF,
showing that the microstructure is affected by the quantity of
CNF. In addition, no obvious peaks of graphite are observed,
which is due to the even distribution of CNF in the bulk
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 powders. As is well known, it is usually dif-
ficult to distinguish between the Ni/Mn ordered P4332 phase
and the Ni/Mn disordered Fd3m phase of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 by
J Solid State Electrochem (2018) 22:1963–1969
XRD only. Thus, FTIR spectra are normally developed as an
effective method to distinguish them according to the meth-
odology. According to previous studies [25–27], when the
absorption peak at 623 cm −1 is stronger than that of
587 cm−1, the characteristic of the Fd3m space group structure
is observed. Additionally, the P4332 space group structure will
feature absorption peaks at 425 and 650 cm−1 in the infrared
spectra, which are absent or extremely low in Fig. 2B, show-
ing that LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4-modified with CNF exhibits a Fd3m
space group structure.
Figure 3 shows SEM and TEM images of the pristine and
CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 particles. From the SEM im-
ages (Fig. 3A–C) of the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 samples modified
without and with the CNF, it is clearly seen that these particles
exhibit spherical or spherical-like appearance with micro/
nanostructures. The particles become irregular with an in-
crease in the CNF amount. It is widely recognized that spher-
ical or spherical-like materials with micro/nanostructures may
reduce the accumulation gap of each particle, whereas the
nanoparticles would shorten the diffusion path of Li+ [23,
28–30]. The subnanoparticles and their appendages obtained
from the microspheres after breakage were investigated by
TEM. Figure 3D (a) shows that no modification layer is ob-
served on the surface of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 without CNF, while
the CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 samples (Fig. 3D (b, c))
exhibit an amorphous appearance with added modification
substances on the surface of the subnanoparticles. Those
CNF modification substances not only provide an electronic
mesh in the bulk of the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 microspheres to im-
prove the conductivity but also protect the surface of the
subparticles. These observations also confirm that the addition
of 1.0 wt.% CNF does not significantly change the morphol-
ogy of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4.
Fig. 3 SEM images of
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 without CNF
(A); with 1.0 wt.% CNF (B); and
with 3.0 wt.% CNF (C). TEM
images of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
subparticles (D) without CNF (a);
with 1.0 wt.% CNF (b); and with
3.0 wt.% CNF (c)
1967
Electrochemical performance of the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
modified with CNF
Figure 4 shows the charge-discharge curves of the CNF-
modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 materials. From Fig. 4A, we can
see that the capacity of the samples with 1.0 and 3.0 wt.%
CNF reach 131.7 and 130.5 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C and 90% and
89% of the theoretical capacity of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4, respective-
ly, which is also higher than that of the sample without CNF
(125.1 mAh g−1). In comparison, 1.0 wt.% CNF-modified
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 exhibits a higher discharge capacity, implying
that an appropriate content of CNF together with the micro/
nanostructure can result in sufficient contact between the ac-
tive materials and the electrolyte, which is favorable for the
diffusion and transmission of Li+ in the electrode material and
subsequently for a higher initial capacity.
The cyclic performance of CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 at
0.5 C in the potential range of 3.5–5.0 V at room temperature is
shown in Fig. 4B. It can be observed that all the CNF-modified
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 materials attain higher specific discharge ca-
pacities at both rates of 0.5 and 10 C after 100 cycles than that
of the pristine material. The discharge capacity of pristine
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 was 88.9 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles, and the
discharge capacity retention was only 71.1%.
Correspondingly, approximately 98% of the initial capacities
for the two CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 materials was main-
tained, indicating that the cycling stability of the CNF-modified
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 materials can be improved. Especially, the
CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 material also shows an excel-
lent high-rate cyclic performance at 10 C, as shown in Fig. 4C.
For the 1.0 wt.% CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 material, its
capacity is still high up to 105.4 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles. On
the other hand, there is no obvious voltage plateau for CNF-
1968
Fig. 4 The 2nd charge-discharge
profiles at 0.5 C (A), cycle
performance at 0.5 C (B), and at
10 C (C) of the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
without CNF (a), with 1.0 wt.%
CNF (b), and with 3.0 wt.% CNF
(c). The charge-discharge
diagrams of 1.0 wt.% CNF-
modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 at
different cyclic numbers (D)
modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4, as shown in Fig. 4D, implying that
the material prepared with an appropriate amount of CNF can
affect the bulk microstructure and composition. These as-
synthesized materials possess excellent reversible capacity
and stability, the CNF additives act as conductive supports
and bulk-conditioning agents, which favor the lithium-ion dif-
fusion and deintercalation of the cathode materials. The CNF-
modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 materials using the co-precipitation
spray-drying method is demonstrated to be beneficial to im-
prove the capacity retention and rate capability, especially at
higher currents.
To comprehensively understand the improvement in the
electrochemical performance of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4-modified
materials with CNF, EIS measurements were carried out,
and the results were fit to the model shown in the inset, as
shown in Fig. 5. As a result, the charge-transfer resistance Rct
(the medium-frequency semicircle) was used to evaluate the
influence of the materials on the conductivity. Obviously, the
Fig. 5 Electrochemical impedance spectra of the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
materials without CNF (a), with 1.0 wt.% CNF (b), and with 3.0 wt.%
CNF (c)
J Solid State Electrochem (2018) 22:1963–1969
1.0 wt.% CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 material displays the
highest Rct, followed by LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with 3.0 wt.% CNF
and the pristine material. These results indicate that the con-
ductivity of 1.0 wt.% CNF-modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 material
is improved by this treatment. Thus lead to a higher lithium-
diffusion coefficient and better electrochemical performance
results. The EIS results further demonstrate that the incorpo-
ration of CNF by the co-precipitation spray-drying method
effectively improves the electrochemical performance of
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4.
Conclusions
The micro/nanostructures of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 and CNF-
modified LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 materials were synthesized via a
co-precipitation spray-drying and calcining process. The
CNF introduced into bulk LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 powders not only
increase the conductivity but also protect the subparticle sur-
face, which leads to the improved electrochemical perfor-
mance of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4. The 1.0 wt.% CNF-modified
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 material shows a superior specific capacity
of 131.7 mAh g−1 at the second cycle at a rate of 0.5 C and
retains 95.2% capacity retention after 100 cycles at a charge-
discharge rate of 10 C. The synthetic method and the usage of
CNF provi de an alt ernative for t he synthesi s of
LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode materials with higher performance
and indicate their promise in practical applications.
Acknowledgments This work was financially supported by the science
and technology projects of Guangdong Province (2013B090500025,
2015A040404043, 2016A050502054), the science and technology pro-
jects of Guangzhou (201604016131).
J Solid State Electrochem (2018) 22:1963–1969
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