Lithium-ion battery performance of layered 0.3Li2MnO3-0.7LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 composite cathode prepared by co-precipitation and sol-gel methods

High energy density composite cathode, 0.3Li(2)MnO(3)-0.7LiNi(0.5)Mn(0.5)O(2) was prepared using two different wet chemical routes viz, co-precipitation and sol-gel methods. The powder X-ray diffraction patterns and Raman spectra of the samples showed clear evidence of the composite nature. Microscopy analysis revealed the particle sizes of the materials prepared by co-precipitation and sol-gel methods are 1.5-2.0 mu m and 350-550 nm, respectively. Charge-discharge tests indicate the better electrochemical performance of the sol-gel prepared composite in terms of high discharge capacity (similar to 240 mAh/g) and good cycling performance: The improved electrochemical performance was attributed to a decrease in the charge-transfer resistance and high surface area. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.