Structural and Electrochemical Features of Spinel Li_xMn₂O₄ Syntherized by Microwave Method

Abstract

UDC 544.6

Structural and electrochemical features of Li_xMn₂O₄ spinel synthesized by the microwave method are described. The thermogravimetric analysis has shown that during microwave synthesis almost 84% of initial reactants undergo chemical transformation associated with the mass loss. Composition of initial components does not influence the heating rate, and the temperature reaches the value 400^оC within 15 minutes. X-ray analysis has demonstrated that Li_xMn₂O₄ samples contain impurities of MnO₂ and Mn₂O₃, the amount of which decreases with increasing concentration of lithium. Electrochemical characteristics of different Li_xMn₂O₄ samples, such as charge-discharge capacity, capacity dependence on the discharge rate and on the cycle number, are discussed.

Keywords: structural and electrochemical features, microwave method, Li_xMn₂O₄ spinel.