High-performance LiMnPO4/C nanoplates synthesized by negative pressure immersion and a solid state reaction using nanoporous Mn2O3 precursorsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5ta02431e

Preparing high-performance LiMnPO 4 is still a large obstacle due to its sluggish electrochemical kinetics. To overcome this problem, a novel method is developed for LiMnPO 4 /C nanoplates from nanoporous Mn 2 O 3 precursors. There are two advantages. Firstly, through negative pressure immersion, lithium dihydrogen phosphate (LiH 2 PO 4 ), lithium hydroxide (LiOH) and sucrose (C 12 H 22 O 11 ) are deposited on the surface of porous Mn 2 O 3 nanosheets. In the following solid-state reaction, three dimensional continuous conductive carbon is wrapped uniformly around the LiMnPO 4 /C nanoplates, which greatly improved the conductivity. Secondly, (010) exposed facets are obtained using the Mn 2 O 3 hierarchical microspheres as precursors, which allows for a fast transmission of Li + ions improving the rate capability. As a result, the as-synthesized L-Mn 2 O 3 -LMP/C samples exhibit a superior rate performance with discharge capacities of 157.3 mA h g −1 at C/20, 122.6 mA h g −1 at 1C, and 105.8 mA h g −1 at 2C. Meanwhile, they can retain 99.3% of the initial capacity after 100 cycles at 1C, revealing an excellent cycling stability. This method sheds more light on the fabrication of high-performance LiMnPO 4 /C cathode materials and is suitable for large scale productions. Preparation of high-performance LiMnPO 4 /C nanoplates using nanoporous Mn 2 O 3 .