Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiMn₂O₄) — LMO

 

About:

Lithium-ion is named for its active materials; the words are either written in full or shortened by their chemical symbols. A series of letters and numbers strung together can be hard to remember and even harder to pronounce, and battery chemistries are also identified in abbreviated letters. 

For example, lithium cobalt oxide, one of the most common Li-ions, has the chemical symbols LiCoO₂ and the abbreviation LCO. For reasons of simplicity, the short form Li-cobalt can also be used for this battery. Cobalt is the main active material that gives this battery character. Other Li-ion chemistries are given similar short-form names.  

Technology Description:​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Li-ion with manganese spinel was first published in the Materials Research Bulletin in 1983. In 1996, Moli Energy commercialized a Li-ion cell with lithium manganese oxide as cathode material. The architecture forms a three-dimensional spinel structure that improves ion flow on the electrode, which results in lower internal resistance and improved current handling. A further advantage of spinel is high thermal stability and enhanced safety, but the cycle and calendar life are limited. 

Low internal cell resistance enables fast charging and high-current discharging. In an 18650 package, Li-manganese can be discharged at currents of 20–30A with moderate heat buildup. It is also possible to apply one-second load pulses of up to 50A. A continuous high load at this current would cause heat buildup and the cell temperature cannot exceed 80°C (176°F). Li-manganese is used for power tools, medical instruments, as well as hybrid and electric vehicles. 

Li-manganese has a capacity that is roughly one-third lower than Li-cobalt. Design flexibility allows engineers to maximize the battery for either optimal longevity (life span), maximum load current (specific power) or high capacity (specific energy). For example, the long-life version in the 18650 cell has a moderate capacity of only 1,100mAh; the high-capacity version is 1,500mAh. 

Voltages	3.70V (3.80V) nominal; typical operating range 3.0–4.2V/cell
Specific energy (capacity)	100–150Wh/kg
Charge (C-rate)	0.7–1C typical, 3C maximum, charges to 4.20V (most cells)
Discharge (C-rate)	1C; 10C possible with some cells, 30C pulse (5s), 2.50V cut-off
Cycle life	300–700 (related to depth of discharge, temperature)
Thermal runaway	250°C (482°F) typical. High charge promotes thermal runaway
Applications	Power tools, medical devices, electric powertrains
Comments      Latest update:	High power but less capacity; safer than Li-cobalt; commonly mixed with NMC to improve performance.    Less relevant now; limited growth potential.

Relevant Images/Videos:

References:

1. https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/types_of_lithium_ion#:~:text=Lithium%20Nickel%20Manganese%20Cobalt%20Oxide%20(LiNiMnCoO2)%20%E2%80%94%20NMC,Energy%20Cells%20or%20Power%20Cells.&text=The%20secret%20of%20NMC%20lies%20in%20combining%20nickel%20and%20manganese. ​​​​​​​