H $_{bm 2}$ O $_{bm 2}$ -Aided One-Pot Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nanocrystalline LiMn

A simple and H₂O₂-aided hydrothermal (HDT) method has been deployed to synthesize nanocrystalline LiMn₂O₄ at 140°C using an in-house-made hydrothermal reaction vessel. Phase pure, highly crystalline, and uniformly distributed nanorods of 100 nm length are obtained from the H₂O₂ aided exothermic oxidation of precursor mix, especially when an excess amount of lithium (Li: Mn as 2:1) is used. The crystalline nature of LiMn₂O₄ and the growth of nanorods along (111) crystallographic direction are understood from powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) and selective area electron diffraction (SAED) analysis, respectively. The synthesized cathode exhibited an initial capacity of 118 mAh g^-1 with a slightly higher initial capacity fade (9%) and a progressively stabilized (<; 3% capacity fade) specific capacity behavior upon cycling. An equivalent circuit model is proposed to fit with the observed impedance behavior of LiMn₂O₄ cathode. The exploitation of low temperature assisted one-pot hydrothermal synthesis to prepare nanocrystalline LiMn₂O₄ compound and the suitability of the same to exhibit better lithium intercalation behavior are demonstrated in this communication.