Synthesis of porous LiFe_0.2Mn_1.8O₄ with high performance for lithium-ion battery

Highlights: • Porous LiFe_0.2Mn_1.8O₄ was fabricated with P123 as a template through a nitrate decomposition method • A high rate capacity and cycling stability were demonstrated when used as cathode in LIBs • This strategy is expected to fabricate other multiple metal oxides with porous structures - Abstract: A facile and effective route was developed for the fabrication of LiFe_0.2Mn_1.8O₄ with porous structures by using Pluronic P-123 as a soft template, based on a nitrate decomposition method. The resultant LiFe_0.2Mn_1.8O₄ was characterized by XRD, SEM, as well as N₂ adsorption/desorption measurements which showed a porous structure with a pore size centered at 20 nm. When used as cathode materials in lithium battery, the as-synthesized LiFe_0.2Mn_1.8O₄ exhibited a discharge capacity of 122 mAh g⁻¹ at 1 C and 102 mAh g⁻¹ at 5 C. Moreover, after 500 cycles, the capacity retention (108 mAh g⁻¹) reached 88% of the initial capacity at 1 C. As compared with conventional cathode LiMn₂O₄, the high performance is believed to originate from the combined effects of porous structure, iron doping and highly crystalline nature of the obtained LiFe_0.2Mn_1.8O₄. This strategy is expected to allow the fabrication of other multiple metal oxides with porous structures for high performance cathode materials