Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The physical and electrochemical properties of LixMnO2 and LixTi0.11Mn0.89O2 synthesized from precursors made by glycine-nitrate combustion (GNC) and solid-state synthesis methods (SS) are examined in this paper. The highest specific capacities in lithium cells are obtained for SS-LixMnO2 electrodes at low current densities, but GNC-LixTi0.11Mn0.89O2 electrodes show the best high rate performance. These results can be explained by changes in the voltage characteristics and differences in the particle morphologies induced by the Ti-substitution and synthesis method. Ti-substitution also results in a decrease in the electronic conductivity, but greatly improves the thermal properties and imparts dissolution resistance to the electrode. For these reasons, it is preferable to use LixTi0.11MnO0.89O2 in lithium battery configurations rather than LixMnO2. Suggestions for improving the electrochemical performance of the Ti-substituted variant are given based on the results described herein.