Flower-like LiMnPO4 hierarchical microstructures assembled from single-crystalline nanosheets for lithium-ion batteries

Well-defined three-dimensional hierarchical flower-like LiMnPO4 microspheres were successfully synthesized by a simple one step low-temperature solvothermal method. Each flower-like single crystalline microsphere consists of LiMnPO4 sheets self-assembled via a nucleation–dissolution–re-crystallization process under the influence of diethylene glycol molecules. It is found that the presence of glucose not only facilitates the formation of single crystalline LiMnPO4 but also gives rise to a uniform amorphous carbonaceous layer on the LiMnPO4 nanoplates. The lithium storage properties of the LiMnPO4 microspheres were investigated for its potential as a cathode material for lithium ion batteries. A possible growth mechanism was also proposed based on time-dependent experiments. This work provides an efficient route for designing a desirable micro-/nanostructure, which could also be extended to synthesize other phosphate (LiMPO4) hierarchical structures used in energy storage.