Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering

Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Zn- and Cd-Doped Li[Li₀.₂₀Mn₀.₅₄Ni₀.₁₃Co₀.₁₃]O₂ Cathodes to Improve Electrochemical Performance of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Reihane Etefagh 1
Amirhassan Amiri 2
Boshra Ghanbari Shohany 1
Nima Rasekh Saleh 3
1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran and Borhan Nano Scale Company, Mashhad, Iran
2 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
3 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, ET. C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
10.47176/jame.45.4.1189
Abstract
Introduction and Objectives: The growing demand for high-energy batteries has accelerated research on high-capacity lithium-rich cathodes. However, the aforementioned cathodes suffer from several drawbacks such as low electronic and ionic conductivity, which subsequently have adverse impact on their electrochemical performance. To overcome these issues, doping with metal ions is an effective strategy. This study aims to investigate the effects of Zn and Cd doping on structural and electrochemical behaviour of Li[Li₀.₂₀Mn₀.₅₄Ni₀.₁₃Co₀.₁₃]O₂ (LMNCO) cathode.
Materials and Methods: Pure LMNCO cathodes and doped with Zn and Cd were synthesized by sol-gel method. The prepared electrodes were structurally examined using various characterization analyses, including XRD, FTIR, ICP-OES, and FESEM/EDX. To evaluate the electrochemical performance, galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements were carried out.
Results: The results obtained from XRD analysis revealed that the cathodes doped with Zn or Cd possess layered α-NaFeO₂ structure like the one observed for the undoped cathode. Furthermore, the doping process resulted in increment in lattice parameters of a and c, providing more space for insertion/extraction of lithium ions into/from the cathode. According to electrochemical measurements, the samples included with Zn and Cd showed improved discharge capabilities (~ 273.7 and 281.3 mAh/g, respectively) compared to non-doped ones (249.7 mAh/g).
Conclusion: Our findings confirm that the controlled doping of cathode with Zn and Cd can effectively stabilize the layered structure and improve electrochemical properties, offering promising design strategies for high-generation lithium-ion batteries.
Keywords
Lithium-ion battery
Cathode materials
Doping
Sol-gel
Nano-structured materials
Subjects
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Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering
Volume 45, Issue 4
Autumn 2026
Pages 103-115

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