Study of Mn Dissolution from LiMn[sub 2]O[sub 4] Spinel Electrodes Using Rotating Ring-Disk Collection Experiments

The goal of this research was to measure Mn dissolution from a thin porous spinel electrode by rotating ring-disk collection experiments. The amount of Mn dissolution from the spinel electrode under various conditions was detected by potential step chronoamperometry. The concentration of dissolved Mn was found to increase with increasing cycle numbers and elevated temperature. The dissolved Mn was not dependent on disk rotation speed, which indicated that the Mn dissolution from the disk was under reaction control. The in situ monitoring of Mn dissolution from the spinel was carried out under various conditions. The ring currents exhibited maxima corresponding to the end-of-charge (EOC) and end-of-discharge (EOD), with the largest peak at EOC. The results suggest that the dissolution of Mn from spinel occurs during charge/discharge cycling, especially in a charged state (at >4.1 V) and in a discharged state (at <3.1 V). The largest peak at EOC demonstrated that Mn dissolution took place mainly at the top of charge. At elevated temperatures, the ring cathodic currents were larger due to the increase of Mn dissolution rate. © 2003 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.