Effect of atomic substitution on the LiMn2O4 cathode, as well as the suggestion to improve cycling stability and high capacity retention by creating a new route using MWCNTs

•LiMn1.977(Ce, Cu, Ti, CeCuTi)0.023O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel combustion method.•LiMn1.977(Ce, Cu, Ti, CeCuTi)0.023O4 cathodes exhibit good cycle stability and high capacity retention.•Ti700 cathode exhibite high capacity retention (92.284 %) under a force of 1000 N.•Ti700 cathode shows the highest capacity of 144.701 mAh g−1 after 20 cycles which reaches 186.413 mAh g−1 for CNT/Ti700 sample (capacity retention=98.924 %). It is crucial to develop a doped cathode material for high capacity and long cycle lithium ion batteries in order to realize low cost and high-performance energy storage. LiMn1.977(Ce, Cu, Ti, CeCuTi)0.023O4 nanoparticles are a promising cathode material because of their unmatched high structural stability, high capacity, and safety during charge/discharge cycles. Among doped LiMn2O4 samples, the Ti-doped LiMn2O4 cathode calcined at 700 °C shows the highest capacity of 144.701 mAh g−1 after 20 cycles with a high current density of 0.1C which reaches 186.413 mAh g−1 when multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are added (capacity retention = 98.924 %). Furthermore, when the T700 sample was subjected to an external force of 1000 N, it showed high capacity retention (=92.284 %). This is due to the larger surface area of the Ti700 sample, resulting in high porosity for reversible storage of lithium, and also the presence of titanium in the lattice increases the dielectric constant. This study provides a reliable and easy way to fabricate and analyze LiMn1.977(Ce, Cu, Ti, CeCuTi)0.023O4 nanoparticle-based cathodes with excellent performance.