Physical and electrochemical characteristics of carbon content in carbon-coated Li2MnSiO4 for rechargeable lithium batteries

Carbon-coated Li2MnSiO4 powders were synthesized by a citric acid-assisted sol–gel process, and their physical and electrochemical properties were characterized to assess their suitability as a cathode material in lithium-rechargeable batteries. Carbon was coated onto the Li2MnSiO4 particles through the carbonization of polymeric materials that were caused by the addition of citric acid during the sol–gel process. The particle size and electrical conductivity of the Li2MnSiO4 powders were found to be changed by varying the amount of citric acid added during the sol–gel process. XRD analysis showed that the quantity of impurities in Li2MnSiO4 was decreased during the sol–gel process. The carbon coating led to an increase in conductivity and mean particle size by creating an electrical and physical connection between the particles. The discharge capacity of Li2MnSiO4 with over 5 % carbon coating was significantly increased to ~125 mAh g−1 compared to just ~3 mAh g−1 for noncoated material.