Sonochemical synthesis of LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ and its electrochemical performance as a cathode material for 5 v Li-ion batteries

LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ was synthesized as a cathode material for Li-ion batteries by a sonochemical reaction followed by annealing, and was characterized by XRD, SEM, HRTEM and Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with electrochemical measurements. Two samples were prepared by a sonochemical process, one without using glucose (sample-S1) and another with glucose (sample-S2). An initial discharge specific capacity of 130 mA h g^-1 is obtained for LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ at a relatively slow rate of C/10 in galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling. The capacity retention upon 50 cycles at this rate was around 95.4% and 98.9% for sample-S1 and sample-S2, respectively, at 30 °C.