Improved Performance of Hydrothermally Synthesized by Ball Milling as a Positive Electrode for Li Ion Battery

LiMnPO4 is anticipated to be a promising cathode material for next generation lithium battery. A reduction of particle size is recognized as a good strategy to improve its performance and it can be achieved by ball milling. However, the ball milling including carbon addition forms small LiMnPO4 particles with large carbon content, which leads to low volumetric energy density of electrode. In this study, carbon-coated LiMnPO4 prepared by hydrothermal route was applied to the ball milling without carbon addition. The reduction of particle size of carbon-coated LiMnPO4 was achieved by the ball milling without destroying the surface carbon layer. The ball-milled LiMnPO4 particle revealed better cathodic performance than non-milled sample. This was attributed to shortening Li ion diffusion path, improvement of structural flexibility, and large surface area of electrode due to reduction of particle size. The ball milling is attested to be a promising method to improve cathodic performance of carbon-coated LiMnPO4.