Hierarchical LiMn₂O₄ Hollow Cubes with Exposed {111} Planes as High-Power Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Hierarchical LiMn₂O₄ hollow cubes with exposed {111} planes have been synthesized using cube-shaped MnCO₃ precursors, which are fabricated through a facile co-precipitation reaction. Without surface modification, the as-prepared LiMn₂O₄ exhibits excellent cyclability and superior rate capability. Surprisingly, even over 70% of primal discharge capacity can be maintained for up to 1000 cycles at 50 C, and with only about 72 s of discharge time the as-prepared materials can deliver initial discharge capacity of 96.5 mA h g^-1. What is more, the materials have 98.4% and 90.7% capacity retentions for up to 100 cycles at 5 C under the temperatures of 25 and 60 °C, respectively. The superior electrochemical performance can be attributed to the unique hierarchical and interior hollow structure, exposed {111} planes, and high-quality crystallinity.