The Effect of Calcination Temperature on the Electrochemical Performance of ZnO Coated LiMn2O4/MWCNT Nanocomposite Cathodes

Abstract

In this study, it is aimed to develop LiMn2O4/MWCNT nanocomposite cathode materials by using different calcination temperatures (300, 500, 700 degrees C). The aim of using MWCNTs in the active material is to overcome poor conductivity and to increase stability of the electrodes during charging and discharging. The nanocomposites were produced by sol-gel method, which allows producing very fine particle size of LiMn2O4. LiMn2O4 and LiMn2O4/MWCNT were uniformly coated on an Al-foil to obtain 500 mu m thicknesses with a specific amount of binder and conducting agent. The surfaces of cathodes were coated with ZnO by using magnetron sputtering PVD with a thickness of 10 nm. Coin-type (CR2016) test cells were assembled, directly using the LiMn2O4/MWCNTs and surface coated LiMn2O4/MWCNTs as anode and a lithium metal foil as the counter electrode.