Investigation of Electrical Properties of LiMn2O4 and LiMn1.94Gd0.03Fe0.03O4 Nano Ceramics for Battery Applications

Abstract

LiMn₂O₄ is well established material used in Li-ion batteries as cathode. To widen the application capability, it is important to tune its electrical properties using various approaches such as doping with suitable elements. The present study explores the fabrication of LiMn₂O₄ and LiMn_1.94Gd_0.03Fe_0.03O₄ nano powders along with their ceramic pellets. The X-ray diffraction was employed to study the crystalline purity and scanning electron micrograph is utilized to study the size and shape of the nanoparticles. The real and imaginary parts of the impedance from 10² to 10⁶ Hz. The equivalent circuit is simulated to understand the microscopic origins to the measured impedance. Finally, the ac conductivity was calculated from impedance data and analyzed using power law of conductivity. The universal exponent (s-parameter) was obtained from the linear fit curve of the frequency dependent conductivity. Hence, these samples may bring new developments in the fields of cathode materials for Li-ion materials.