Influence on performance and structure of spinel LiMn2O4 for lithium-ion batteries by doping rare-earth Sm

The spinel LiMn₂O₄ used as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries was synthesized by mechano-chemistry fluid activation process, and modified by doping rare-earth Sm. Thesting of X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammograms, charge-discharge and SEM was carried out for LiMn₂O₄ cathode materials and the modified materials. The results show that the cathode materials doped rare earth Li _x Mn_2−y Sm _z O₄ (0.95⩽x⩽1.2, 0⩽y⩽0.3, 0⩽z⩽0.2) exhibit standard spinel structure, high reversibility of electrochemistry and excellent properties of charge-discharge. In EC: DMC(1 : 1)+1 mol/L LiPF₆ electrolyte with discharge capacity more than 130 mA · h/g, and its capacity is deteriorated less than 15% after 300 cycles at room temperature and less than 20% after 200 cycles at 55°C. At the same time, Crystal Field Theory was applied to explain the function and mechanism of doped rare earth element. Foundation item: Project (02JJY2081) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province     

Synthesis and characterization of Mg3(PO4)2-coated Li1.05Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 cathode material for Li-ion battery

Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coated Li_1.05Ni_1/3Mn_1/3Co_1/3O₂ cathode materials were synthesized via co-precipitation method. The morphology, structure, electrochemical performance and thermal stability were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), cyclic voltammetry(CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS), charge/discharge cycling and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). SEM analysis shows that Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coating changes the morphologies of their particles and increases the grains size. XRD and CV results show that Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coating powder is homogeneous and has better layered structure than the bare one. Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coating improved high rate discharge capacity and cycle-life performance. The reason why the cycling performance of Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coated sample at 55 °C was better than that of room temperature was the increasing of lithium-ion diffusion rate and charge transfer rate with temperature rising. Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coating improved the cathode thermal stability, and the result was consistent with thermal abuse tests using Li-ion cells: the Mg₃(PO₄)₂ coated Li_1.05Ni_1/3Mn_1/3Co_1/3O₂ cathode did not exhibit thermal runaway with smoke and explosion, in contrast to the cells containing the bare Li_1.05Ni_1/3Mn_1/3Co_1/3O₂. Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20273047)     

Luminescent properties of BaO-La2O3-B2O3 glasses with dopant

The luminescent properties of glasses synthesized in air atmosphere by conventional high temperature process were stud{ed. The emissions spectra of Eu^2 and Eu^3 were observed in BaO-La2O3-B2O3-Eu2O3 glasses.The results show that the broad emission peaks at 430 nm correspond to 5d→4f emission transition of Eu^2 , the sharp emission peaks at 592, 616, 650 and 250 nm correspond to 5^D0→1Fj(j=1--4) emission transition of Eu^3 ,respectively, which indicates that the BaO-La2O3a-B2O3-Eu2O3 glass can convert ultraviolet and green omponents of sunlight into blue and red light so as to increase the intensity of blue and red light, respectively. The luminescent in--tensity of Eu^2 increases with increasing the molar ratio of Tb^3 in BaO-La2O3-B2O3-Eu2O3a-Tb4O3 glasses, whereas the luminescent intensity of Eua^3 decreases. So the luminescent intensity of Eu(Ⅲ,Ⅱ) is influenced by Tb^3 .These phenomena can be explained by electron transfer mechanism; Eu^3 (4f6) Tb^3 (4f^8)→Eu^2 (4f′) Tb^4 (4f′). Taking advantage of the luminescent properties of BaO-La2O3-B2O3-Eu2O3 glasses, light-conversion glass for agriculture can be produced.     

Study on the isothermal oxidation behavior in air of Ti3AlC2 sintered by hot pressing

The isothermal oxidation behavior at 900–1300°C for 20 h in air of bulk Ti₃AlC₂ with 2.8 wt% TiC sintered by means of hot pressing was investigated in the work. The isothermal oxidation behavior generally followed a parabolic rate law. The parabolic rate constants increased from 1.39×10⁻¹⁰ kg²·m⁻⁴·s⁻¹ at 900°C to 5.56×10⁻⁹ kg²·m⁻⁴·s⁻¹ at 1300°C. The calculated activation energy was 136.45 kJ/mol. It was demonstrated that Ti₃AlC₂ had excellent oxidation resistance due to the continuous, dense and adhesive protect scales consisted of a mass of α-Al₂O₃ and a little of TiO₂ and/or Al₂TiO₅. In principle, the oxide scale was grown by the inward diffusion of O²⁻ and the outward diffusion of Ti⁴⁺ and Al³⁺. The rapid outward diffusion of cations usually resulted in the formation of cracks, gaps, and holes.     

Effect of Fe(III) impurity on the electrochemical performance of LiFePO<Subscript>4</Subscript> prepared by hydrothermal process

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) was synthesized from LiOH, FeSO₄ and H₃PO₄ by a hydrothermal process at 180°C. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and chemical analysis. Electrochemical performance of the samples was tested in terms of charge-discharge capacity and cycling behavior. The results indicated that Fe(III) impurity had obviously effect on the electrochemical properties of LiFePO₄, and the formation of Fe³⁺ was caused by the oxidation of Fe²⁺ in the dissolving and feeding processes accompanying the increase of pH value. It was found that the precipitation separation was effective in decreasing the content of Fe³⁺ in the solution of FeSO₄ and the sealed feeding was useful in preventing the conversion of Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺. When the content of Fe³⁺ < 0.5 wt%, the hydrothermally synthesized LiFePO₄ calcined at 750°C with sucrose as carbon source exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 154.9 mAh·g⁻¹ at the rate of 0.1 C (1 C = 150 mA·g⁻¹) and the cycling retention rate could reach 98% after 50 cycles at room temperature.     

First-principle investigation on stability of Co-doped spinel λ-Mn4-xCoxO8

The mechanism of stability of Co-doped spinel λ-MnO2 that is referred to as spinel LixMn2O4 （x=0） was studied by using the first-principle calculation method. The total energy and formation enthalpy can be decreased remarkably due to the Co substation, resulting in a more stable structure ofλ-MnxCr2-xO4. The bond order and DOS analysis were given in detail to explain the nature of stability improvement. The calculated results show that as the content of Co dopant increases, the bond order of Mn-O becomes larger and the peak of density of states around Fermi level shifts toward lower energy. The charge density distribution illustrates that the Mn-O bonding is ionic and partially covalent, and the covalent Mn-O bonding becomes stronger with the increase of Co dopant content. The results confirm that the Co-doping will enhance the stability of λ-MnO2 and hence improve the electrochemistry performance of LixMn2O4.     

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of Cr-doped Li<Subscript>3</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>(PO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ cathode materials Li₃V_2−x Cr _x (PO₄)₃ were prepared by a carbothermal reduction(CTR) process. The properties of the Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopic (SEM), and electrochemical measurements. Results show that the Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ has the same monoclinic structure as the undoped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃, and the particle size of Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ is smaller than that of the undoped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ and the smallest particle size is only about 1 μm. The Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ samples were investigated on the Li extraction/insertion performances through charge/discharge, cyclic voltammogram (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectra(EIS). The optimal doping content of Cr was that x=0.04 in the Li₃V_2−x Cr _x (PO₄)₃ samples to achieve high discharge capacity and good cyclic stability. The electrode reaction reversibility was enhanced, and the charge transfer resistance was decreased through the Cr-doping. The improved electrochemical performances of the Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ cathode materials are attributed to the addition of Cr³⁺ ion by stabilizing the monoclinic structure. Funded by the Guangxi Natural Science Foundation(No. 0832259) and the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2007CB613607)     

Characteristics of LiCoO2, LiMn2O4 and LiNi0.45Co0.1Mn0.45O2 as cathodes of lithium ion batteries

LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ was synthesized from Li₂CO₃ and a triple oxide of nickel, cobalt and manganese at 950 °C in air. The structures and characteristics of LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂, LiCoO₂ and LiMn₂O₄ were investigated by XRD, SEM and electrochemical measurements. The results show that LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ has a layered structure with hexagonal lattice. The commercial LiCoO₂ has sphere-like appearance and smooth surfaces, while the LiMn₂O₄ and LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ consist of cornered and uneven particles. LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ has a large discharge capacity of 140.9 mA · h/g in practical lithium ion battery, which is 33.4% and 2.8% above that of LiMn₂O₄ and LiCoO₂, respectively. LiCoO₂ and LiMn₂O₄ have higher discharge voltage and better rate-capability than LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂. All the three cathodes have excellent cycling performance with capacity retention of above 89.3% at the 250th cycle. Batteries with LiMn₂O₄ or LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ cathodes show better safety performance under abusive conditions than those with LiCoO₂ cathodes. Foundation item: Project(50302016) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Project(2005037698) supported by the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China     

Synthesis of γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles by chemical precipitation method

Highly pure active γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles were synthesized from aluminum nitrate and ammonium carbonate with a little surfactant by chemical precipitation method. The factors affecting the synthesis process were studied. The properties of γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles were characterized by DTA, XRD, BET, TEM, laser granularity analysis and impurity content analysis. The results show that the amorphous precursor Al(OH)₃ sols are produced by using 0.1 mol/L Al(NO₃)₃ · 9H₂O and 0.16 mol/L (NH₄)₂CO₃ · H₂O reaction solutions, according to the volume ratio 1.33, adding 0.024% (volume fraction) surfactant PEG600, and reacting at 40 °C, 1 000 r/min stirring rate for 15 min. Then, after stabilizing for 24 h, the precursors were extracted and filtrated by vacuum, washed thoroughly with deionized water and dehydrated ethanol, dried in vacuum at 80°C for 8 h, final calcined at 800 °C for 1 h in the air, and high purity active γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles can be prepared with cubic in crystal system, O _H ⁷ -FD3M in space group, about 9 nm in crystal grain size, about 20 nm in particle size and uniform size distribution, 131. 35 m²/g in BET specific surface area, 7 – 11 nm in pore diameter, and not lower than 99.93% in purity. Foundation item: Project(03JJY3015) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province     

Preparation and structure characteristics of nano-Bi2O3 powders with mixed crystal structure

The nano-Bi2O3 powders were prepared by a chemical precipitation method with Bi(NO3)3, HNO3 and NaOH as reactants. The structural characteristics and morphology of nano-Bi2O3 powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The results show that under the optimum condition that 300g/L Bi(NO3)3 reacts at 90℃ for 2 h, the Bi203 powders with 60 nm on the average and 99.5% in purity are obtained. The prepared nano-Bi2O3 powders contain a mixed crystal structure of monoclinic and triclinic instead of traditional structure of monoclinic α-Bi2O3. And the mixed crystal structure is stable in air. The reason for the appearance of the mixed crystal structure may be that the ionic radius ratio of Bi^3 to O^2- changes easily during the formation of nano-Bi2O3 particles by a chemical precipitation method.     

Effects of heat treatment temperature on crystallization and thermal expansion coefficient of Li2O-Al2O3-SiO2

The basic glass of Li₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ system using P₂O₅ as nucleator was prepared by means of conventional melt quenching technology, and the heat-treatment process was determined by using differential thermal analysis. The crystalline phases and the microstructure of the glass-ceramics were investigated by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the glass based on Li₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ oxides using P₂O₅ as nucleator can be prepared at lower melt temperature of 1450°C and the glass-ceramics with lower thermal expansion coefficient of 21.6 × 10⁻⁷°C⁻¹ can also be obtained at 750°C. The glass-ceramics contain a few crystal phases in which the main crystal phase is β-quartz solid solution and the second crystal phase is β-spodumene solid solution. When the heat treatment temperature is not higher than 650°C, the transparent glass-ceramics containing β-quartz solid solution can be prepared. β-quartz solid solution changes into β-spodumene solid solution at about 750°C. And the appearance of the glass-ceramics changes from translucent, part opaque to complete opaque with increasing temperature.     

Modification of LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode material by CeO2-coating

LiCo_1/3Ni_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ was coated by a layer of 1.0 wt% CeO₂ via sol-gel method. The bared and coated LiMn_1/3Co_1/3Ni_1/3O₂ was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammogram (CV) and galvanotactic charge-discharge test. The results show that the coating layer has no effect on the crystal structure, only coating on the surface; the 1.0 wt% CeO₂-coated LiCo_1/3Ni_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ exhibits better discharge capacity and cycling performance than the bared LiCo_1/3Ni_1/3Mn_1/3O₂. The discharge capacity of 1.0 wt% CeO₂-coated cathode is 182.5 mAh·g⁻¹ at a current density of 20 mA·g⁻¹, in contrast to 165.8 mAh·g⁻¹of the bared sample. The discharge capacity retention of 1.0 wt% CeO₂-coated sample after 12 cycles reaches 93.2%, in comparison with 86.6% of the bared sample. CV results show that the CeO₂ coating could suppress phase transitions and prevent the surface of cathode material from direct contact with the electrolyte, thus enhance the electrochemical performance of the coated material.     

Nanocomposite films of V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript>−MoO<Subscript>3</Subscript> xerogel with poly ethylene oxide intercalation

Poly ethylene oxide (PEO)_x−V₂O₅−V₂O₅−MoO₃ (x=0, 0.5, 1) films were prepared by the sol-gel method. The synthesis and structure of the films were investigated by XRD, TG-DTA, FTIR, etc. The results show that V₂O₅−MoO₃ xerogel has a layered structure and its interlayer space increased from 1.3181 nm at x=0 to 1. 7898 nm at x=1 after the nanocomposite films were dried, and PEO in the interlayer changes the interface structure by forming hydrogen bonds with V=0 bands. CV measurement indicates that the intercalation of PEO improves insertion/extration properties of Li⁺ ions in the interlayer. ZHENG Jin-xia: Born in 1976 Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50172036) and Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province(No. 2001ABB083)     

Kinetics of Fe3O4 formation by air oxidation

The kinetics of Fe₃O₄ formation by air oxidation of slightly acidic suspension of Fe(OH)₂ was studied. The effects of initial concentration of Fe(II), temperature, partial pressure of oxygen, air flow rate and stirring rate on the oxidation rate were investigated. The results show that Fe₃O₄ formation is composed of two-step reaction, the first step is the formation of Fe(OH) ₂ ⁺ by oxidation of Fe(OH)⁺ complex ions, the second step is the formation of magnetite by dehydration and deprotonation of Fe(OH)⁺ and Fe(OH) ₂ ⁺ . The oxidation reaction is zero-order with respect to the concentration of Fe(II) and around 0.5-order with respect to partial pressure of oxygen, and oxygen transfer process is rate-limiting step of oxidation reaction with apparent activation energy of 2.74 kJ · mol⁻¹.     

High temperature cyclic oxidation behavior of Y2O3-ZrO2 thermal barrier coatings irradiated by high-intensity pulsed ion beam

The high-temperature oxidation resistance behavior of 7% (mass fraction) Y₂O₃-ZrO₂ thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) irradiated by high-intensity pulsed ion beam (HIPIB) was investigated under the cyclic oxidation condition of 1 050 °C and 1 h. The columnar grains in the TBCs disappear after the HIPIB irradiation at ion current densities of 100–200 A/cm² and the irradiated surface becomes smooth and densified after remelting and ablation due to the HIPIB irradiation. The thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer thickness of the irradiated TBCs is smaller than that of the original TBCs. After 15 cycles, the mass gains of the original TBCs and those irradiated by ion current densities of 100 and 200 A/cm² due to the oxidation are found to be 0.8–0.9, 0.6–0.7, and 0.3–0.4 mg/cm², respectively. The inward diffusion of oxygen through the irradiated TBCs is significantly impeded by the densified top layer formed due to irradiation, which is the main reason for the improved overall oxidation resistance of the irradiated TBCs. Foundation item: Projects supported by The 2nd Stage of Brain Korea and Korea Research Foundation     

Preparation and properties of 4.25Cu-0.75Ni／NiFe2O4 cermet

4.25Cu-0.75Ni/NiFe₂O₄ cermets were prepared by doping NiFe₂O₄ ceramic matrix with the mixed powders of Cu and Ni or Cu-Ni alloy powder as the electrical conducting metallic elements. The effects of technological parameters, such as the adding modes of metallic elements, the ball milling time, the sintering time and the sintering temperature, on the relative density and resistivity of the cermets were studied. The results show that the resistivity of 4.25Cu-0.75Ni/NiFe₂O₄ cermets decreases with increasing temperature, and has a turning point at 590 °C, which is similar to that of NiFe₂O₄ ceramic. The sintering temperature and adding modes of metallic elements have a great influence on the properties of 4.25Cu-0.75Ni/NiFe₂O₄ cermets. When the sintering temperature increases from 1200 °C to 1300 °C, the relative density increases from 89.86% to 95.33%, and the resistivity at 960 °C decreases from 0.11 Ω · cm to 0.03 Ω · cm, respectively. When the metallic elements are added with the mixed powders of Cu and Ni, the cermets of finely and uniformly dispersed metallic phase, high density and electric conductivity are obtained. The relative density and resistivity at 960 °C are 90.23% and 0.04 Ω · cm respectively for the cermet samples sintered at 1200 °C for 2 h, which are both better than those of the cermets prepared under the same technique conditions but with the metallic elements added as 85Cu-15Ni alloy powders. Foundation item: Project (G1999064903) supported by the National Key Fundamental Research and Development Program of China; project(2001AA335013) supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China; project (50204014) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Organic Inorganic Hybrid Compound [Co（dien）2]（dienH3）（H3O）7[P2Mo5O23]2·14H2O

A new compound,[Co（dien）2]（dienH3）（H3O）7[P2Mo5O23]2·14H2O, has been hydrothermallly synthesized by using Na2MoO4,CoCl2, H3PO4 and dien, and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray powder diffraction analysis, SEM, IR and TG analysis. The results show that the compound is composed of a polyanion [P2Mo5O23]2^12, complex [Co（dien）2]^2＋ cation, protonated [dienH3]^3＋ , and forteen crystallization water molecule.     

Preparation of λ-MnO2 by Column Method and Its Ion-Sieve Property

λ-MnO₂ was prepared by column method from normal spinel LiMn₂O₄ with purity of 99.38%. The influence of LiMn₂O₄ grain size and acidity of leaching solution on the lithium leaching process was studied. The results show that the appropriate range of LiMn₂O₄ grain size was 60–160 meshes and the concentration of leaching solution HCl was 0.1 mol·L⁻¹. The adsorption capacity Q of λ-MnO₂ for lithium increased with the increase of pH and changed markedly at pH 6.0–10.0. It was 3.80mmol/g at pH 12.0 The distribution coefficients K_d of Li⁺ and Na⁺ were 3.406×10⁴ and 2.300 respectively, and the separation coefficient a _Na ^Li was 1.481 ×10⁴ at pH 6.5. As a result, λ-MnO₂ is a high performance ion-sieve material for lithium ion. LEI Jia-heng: Born in 1957. Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 59972027) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (No. 2002AB074)).     

Low-temperature sintering and microwave dielectric properties of Li2MgTi3O8 ceramics doped with BaCu（B2O5）

The influences of BaCu(B₂O₅) (BCB) addition on sintering, microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of Li₂MgTi₃O₈ ceramics were investigated using X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and microwave dielectric measurements. The experimental results show that a small amount of BaCu(B₂O₅) addition can effectively reduce the sintering temperature to 900 °C, and induce only a limited degradation of the microwave dielectric properties. Typically, the best microwave dielectric properties of ɛ _r=24.5, Q×f =24 622 GHz, τ _f=4.2×10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ are obtained for 1.0% BCB-doped Li₂MgTi₃O₈ ceramics sintered at 900 °C for 3 h. The BCB-doped Li₂MgTi₃O₈ ceramics can be compatible with Ag electrode, which may be a strong candidate for low temperature co-fired ceramics applications.     

Preparation and Gas Permeation of Supported γ-Al2O3 Membranes Used as Substrate Layer for Microporous Membranes

γ-Al₂O₃ membranes were successfully deposited on the top of porous α-Al₂O₃ support by sol-gel process and characterized by means of XRD, SEM, N₂ adsorption and gas permeation. The γ-Al₂O₃ membranes, free of pin-holes and cracks, adhere tightly to the supports and have a thickness of about 7 μm. When sintered at 400°C, γ-Al₂O₃ membranes have a narrow pore size distribution, with a pore diameter of 3.6nm, and the transport of both H₂ and CO₂ in supported γ-Al₂O₃ membrane is governed by Knudsen mechanism, with H₂ permeance of 3.3×10⁻⁶ molm⁻² Pa⁻¹ s⁻¹ and H₂/CO₂ permselectivity close to the ideal Knudsen value at 50°C. The γ-Al₂O₃ membranes are suitable for being used as the substrates of microporous membranes. Founded by the Doctor Science Foundation of Chinese Education Ministry (Grant No. 98053301).