On the study of mixing and drying on electrochemical performance of spinel LiMn2O4 cathodes

TLDR: In this paper, the effect of stirring hours and drying temperature on the quality of slurry, its surface morphology, and electrochemical performances of electrodes was presented, where the cathode slurry was prepared at four different stirring intervals of 3 h, 4 h, 5 h, and 6 h and six different drying temperatures.

Abstract: The current work presents the effect of stirring hours and drying temperature on the quality of slurry, its surface morphology, and electrochemical performances of electrodes. Physical characterization studies, such as XRD, SEM, and SEM of slurry, and electrochemical characterization studies, namely, the investigation of charge-discharge capacities, rate performances, cyclability, and AC-impedance, were carried out. The cathode slurry was prepared at four different stirring intervals of 3 h, 4 h, 5 h, and 6 h and six different drying temperatures of 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, and 130 °C. The results showed that slurry obtained at a stirring time of 5 h and at a drying temperature of 120 °C exhibited best physical and electrochemical performances. SEM images showed that slurry obtained at a stirring time of 5 h has better surface uniformity and homogeneity compared to others. The electrodes prepared from this slurry also showed improved charge-discharge capacity and rate performance and low impedance. The initial discharge capacities of the electrodes, made from slurry with stirring times of 4 h, 5 h, and 6 h, were 54, 73, and 58 mA hg−1, respectively at a current rate of C/10. The current study also provides clear-cut outline steps to prepare good quality cathode slurry. This study may provide guidelines for new researchers in the field of Li-ion battery technology to overcome these issues and get first hand good quality slurry for better results.