Synthesis of Li^sub 2^Mn^sub 1-x^Ni^sub x^SiO^sub 4^/C nanocomposites with enhanced electrochemical properties via citric acid assisted sol-gel method

Li2Mn1-xNixSiO4/C (x=0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, and 0.08) nanocomposites were successfully prepared by a citric acid assisted sol-gel method. The physical properties and electrochemical performance test results showed that substituting part of Mn2+ with Ni2+ was effective in reducing the agglomeration phenomenon, decreasing the particle size, and enhancing the electrochemical properties. In particular, Li2Mn0.94Ni0.06SiO4/C delivered the highest initial discharge capacity of about 182.9 mA h g-1 at 0.1 C, which was related to the decreased charge transfer resistance and enhanced lithium ion diffusion for Ni-doped samples.