A novel method for preparation of macroposous lithium nickel manganese oxygen as cathode material for lithium ion batteries

A simple one-step route using gas template method is applied to synthesize macroporous LiNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ which is characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Telle (BET) surface area, charge–discharge tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The as-synthesized material shows pure crystalline phase of LiNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₂, while the microstructure is comprised of macrospores ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 μm. The first discharge capacity is of 174 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C rate, which is much higher than that of the material synthesized by the conventional solid state reaction method. Furthermore, the macroporous LiNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ material shows remarkable rate capacity and cycle stability, which may be attributed to the shorter lithium ion diffusion distance and better electrolyte penetration.