Facile synthesis of electrochemically active α-LiFeO2 nanoparticles in absolute ethanol at ambient temperature

Abstract

The synthesis of electrochemically active α-LiFeO₂ nanoparticles in absolute ethanol at ambient temperature was developed using LiOH·H₂O and Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O as starting materials and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical performance of the α-LiFeO₂ nanoparticles as cathode materials for lithium secondary batteries showed that the initial discharge capacity of α-LiFeO₂ (theoretical capacity of 282 mA h g⁻¹) nanoparticles was 290.6, 194, and 183.8 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.1, 1 and 2 C, respectively, which was one of the previous reported highest values. Especially, α-LiFeO₂ nanoparticles exhibited improved cycle stability at 2 C. The capacity retention was around 55.2% with the discharge capacity of 101.5 mA h g⁻¹ after 50 cycles at 2 C.