Effect of nanocrystallinity on the electrochemical performance of LiMn2O4 cathode.

In the present work, we have synthesized nanocrystalline LiMn2O4 of different grain sizes, for application to Li ion rechargeable batteries. LiMn2O4 cathode powder was synthesized by sol-gel method and was high-energy ball milled for 8 and 16 h, respectively. The particle sizes of pure, 8 h, and 16 h ball-milled samples were determined from TEM and measured as ∼225, 40, and 10 nm, respectively. The initial discharge capacity of the pure LiMn2O4 cathode material was found to be about 128.75 mAh/g, which was found to decrease on reducing the particle size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]