Ethylene glycol (EG) solvothermal synthesis of flower-like LiMnPO4 nanostructures self-assembled with (010) nanobelts for Li-ion battery positive cathodes

Abstract

Flower-like LiMnPO₄ nanostructures self-assembled with nanobelts were synthesized via a simple ethylene glycol (EG) solvothermal route, in which lithium acetate, manganese acetate and phosphoric acid are used as the reaction precursors. The primary block LiMnPO₄ nanobelts are dominated with (010) facets. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, and N₂-physisorption technique were employed to characterize the microstructure and morphologies of the synthesized samples. On the basis of the experimental results, a possible formation mechanism of the flower-like LiMnPO₄ nanostructures self-assembled with nanobelts has been discussed. In addition, the electrochemical performance of the mesoporous LiMnPO₄ nanostructures is further investigated as positive cathodes in Li-ion batteries.