The obtainment of low-cost, easily prepared and high-powered LiMn2O4 is the key to achieve its wide application in various electronic devices. In this work, a mild and easily scaled molten salt method (KCl@LiCl) is utilized to convert commercial MnO2 to the high-performance LiMn2O4. At the same reaction temperature, the molten salt method leads to the formation of K+-doped LiMn2O4 with higher crystallinity compared to the conventional solid state method, which contributes to the improved inner charge transfer. The Li3PO4 protective layer is coated on the surface of K+-doped LiMn2O4 to elevate the interfacial stability and the Li+ transfer on interface. Thus, the optimized electrode shows a higher specific discharge capacity (103/60 mAh g-1 at 0.02/2 A g-1) and a longer cyclic life (80 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles at 0.5 A g-1) compared to those of LiMn2O4 by solid state method (49/2 mAh g-1 at 0.02/2 A g-1 and 20 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles at 0.5 A g-1).
Keywords: Commercial MnO(2) (≥ 85 wt%); Good structural stability; In-situ K(+) doping; LiMn(2)O(4); Low-temperature molten salt method.
Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.