Mechanochemical synthesis of Li₂MnO₃ shell/LiMO₂ (M = Ni, Co, Mn) core-structured nanocomposites for lithium-ion batteries

Jae-Kyo Noh; Soo Kim; Haesik Kim; Wonchang Choi; Wonyoung Chang; Dongjin Byun; Byung-Won Cho; Kyung Yoon Chung

doi:10.1038/srep04847

Mechanochemical synthesis of Li₂MnO₃ shell/LiMO₂ (M = Ni, Co, Mn) core-structured nanocomposites for lithium-ion batteries

Sci Rep. 2014 May 2:4:4847. doi: 10.1038/srep04847.

Authors

Jae-Kyo Noh¹, Soo Kim², Haesik Kim³, Wonchang Choi³, Wonyoung Chang³, Dongjin Byun⁴, Byung-Won Cho³, Kyung Yoon Chung³

Affiliations

¹ 1] Center for Energy Convergence, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Hwarangno 14-gil-5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-197, Republic of Korea [2] Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Anam-dong 5-1, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-701, Republic of Korea [3].
² 1] Center for Energy Convergence, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Hwarangno 14-gil-5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-197, Republic of Korea [2] [3].
³ Center for Energy Convergence, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Hwarangno 14-gil-5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-197, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Anam-dong 5-1, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-701, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Core/shell-like nanostructured xLi2MnO3·(1-x)LiMO2 (M = Ni, Co, Mn) composite cathode materials are successfully synthesized through a simple solid-state reaction using a mechanochemical ball-milling process. The LiMO2 core is designed to have a high-content of Ni, which increases the specific capacity. The detrimental surface effects arising from the high Ni-content are countered by the Li2MnO3 shell, which stabilizes the nanoparticles. The electrochemical performances and thermal stabilities of the synthesized nanocomposites are compared with those of bare LiMO2. In particular, the results of time-resolved X-ray diffraction (TR-XRD) analyses of xLi2MnO3·(1-x)LiMO2 nanocomposites as well as their differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) profiles demonstrate that the Li2MnO3 shell is effective in stabilizing the LiMO2 core at high temperatures, making the nanocomposites highly suitable from a safety viewpoint.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't