Temperature-Controlled Synthesis of Li- and Mn-Rich Li1.2 Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 Hollow Nano/Sub-Microsphere Electrodes for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery

The calcination temperature plays a significant role in the structural, textural, and energy-storage performance of metal oxide nanomaterials in Li-ion battery application. Here, we report the formation of well-crystallized homogeneously dispersed Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 hollow nano/sub-microsphere architectures through a simple cost-effective coprecipitation and chemical mixing route without surface modification for improving the efficiency of energy storage devices. The synthesized Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 hollow nano/sub-microsphere cathode materials are calcined at 800, 900, 950, and 1000 degrees C. Among them, Li-1.2 Mn(0.54)Ni(0.13)Co(0.13)O(2 )calcined at 950 degrees C exhibits a high discharge capacity (277 mAh g(-1) at 0.1C rate) and excellent capacity retention (88%) after 50 cycles and also delivers an excellent discharge capacity of >172 mAh g(-1) at 5C rate. Good electrochemical performance of Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 -950 is directly related to the optimized size of its primary particles (85 nm) (which constitute the spherical secondary particle, similar to 720 nm) and homogeneous cation mixing. Higher calcination temperature (>= 950 degrees C) leads to an increase of the primary particle size, poor cycling stability, and inferior rate capacity of Li-1.2 Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 due to smashing of quasi-hollow spheres upon repeated lithium ion intercalations/deintercalations. Therefore, Li-1.2 Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2-950 is a promising electrode for the next-generation high-voltage and high-capacity Li-ion battery application.