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Dear Colleagues,

Most current research in materials science focuses on improving device functionality through surface and interface engineering. In this context, the study and development of thin-film systems, processes, and materials for electronic, optical, and energy conversion/storage applications is crucial to meeting the growing demand for efficiency and high performance.

Significant progress has been made in thin-film research to develop novel devices that overcome the limitations of bulk materials. In this regard, advanced deposition techniques, along with the characterization of complex heterojunctions and 2D materials, may be the focus of this special issue.

The purpose of this special issue is to publish high-quality research articles, as well as review articles, addressing recent advances in the synthesis, characterization, modeling, and application of thin-film surfaces and their interfaces.

Dr. Marcos I. Flores
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18 pages, 8938 KB

Open AccessArticle

Temperature-Controlled Synthesis of High-Voltage Spinel LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ Films via Metal–Organic Decomposition: Structure and Electrochemical Study for Application in Lithium-Ion Batteries

by Francisca Luco, Benjamín Silva, Andrés Ibáñez, Arianne Maine, Andrés Espinosa, Fabian Dietrich, Judit G. Lisoni, Víctor M. Fuenzalida, Rodrigo Espinoza and Marcos Flores

Materials 2026, 19(13), 2825; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19132825 - 2 Jul 2026

Viewed by 550

Abstract

The high-voltage spinel

{LiNi}_{0.5} {Mn}_{1.5} O_{4}

The high-voltage spinel

{LiNi}_{0.5} {Mn}_{1.5} O_{4}

(LNMO) is a promising cobalt-free cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, yet its integration as a binder-free thin film on metallic current collectors via simple solution routes remains underexplored. Here, LNMO films were synthesized on 304 stainless steel (SS304) by metal–organic decomposition (MOD) from metal–acetate precursors in ethanol, followed by spin-coating and annealing at 500, 600, and 700 °C under flowing

O_{2}

. The films were characterized by XRD, FESEM–FIB cross-sectioning, EDS, and XPS, and tested as binder-free cathodes by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge. All samples are dense, approximately 1.9 μm thick, and crystallize in the disordered spinel phase. The LNMO crystallite size increases from 21.9 to 43.8 nm between 500 and 700 °C, while the grain size also shows a temperature dependence, increasing the average size from 25 up to 56 nm in diameter. XPS confirms

{Mn}^{4 +}

as the dominant manganese surface species (45–49%) across all samples. The films deliver reversible discharge capacities of 92, 92, and 70 mAh

g^{- 1}

at 0.1 C for LNMO500, LNMO600, and LNMO700, respectively, with well-defined

{Ni}^{2 +} {/Ni}^{3 +}

and

{Ni}^{3 +} {/Ni}^{4 +}

redox peaks at 4.7 and 4.8 V. DFT calculations independently predict a voltage plateau at ∼4.7 V for

0.2 \leq x \leq 1

, in agreement with the experimental profiles. These findings establish MOD as a viable, vacuum-free route to the synthesis of nanostructured LNMO cathodes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin-Film Materials and Interface Engineering for Electronic, Optical and Energy Applications)

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