Simplified co-precipitation synthesis of spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with improved physical and electrochemical performance

We have successfully synthesized the spherical LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 through a simplified co-precipitation method without pH control and ammonia addition. Various measurements have been applied to characterize the physical and electrochemical properties of the spherical LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4. Compared with the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode material prepared by the conventional co-precipitation method, the material synthesized by the simplified method not only shows a decreased specific surface area of 2.23 m(2) g(-1) and increased pellet density of 2.95 g cm(-3), but also has an improved rate capability and cycling performance. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.