Porous layered lithium-rich oxide nanorods: Synthesis and performances as cathode of lithium ion battery

Abstract A layered lithium-rich oxide, Li[Li 0.19 Mn 0.32 Co 0.49 ]O 2 , is synthesized by introducing manganese and cobalt via oxalates co-crystallization in reverse micellar microemulsion. The physical and electrochemical performances of the as-synthesized oxide are evaluated as cathode of lithium ion battery. The physical characterizations, from X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope, indicate that the as-synthesized oxide takes a nanorod morphology of up to 1 μm in length and 200 nm in diameter, which is composed of about 20 nm subunit nanoparticles, and possesses a hierarchical pore structure. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the as-synthesized oxide exhibits improved charge/discharge performances: less polarization, larger discharge capacity, higher rate capability, and better cyclic stability, compared to the sample synthesized by introducing the transition metals in solid-state reaction.