Lithium orthophosphates of the LiMPO4 type (M = Ni, Co, Fe, and Mn) gain intensive development due to the potential applications as electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. The other remarkable property of LiMPO4 is the multiferroicity.
We present a study of the crystal structure and magnetic properties, refined anisotropic thermal coefficients and Li-ion migration maps of the LiNi0.9M0.1PO4(M = Co, Mn) single crystals and compared results for the undoped LiNiPO4 and LiMnPO4 ones. All samples have been synthesized by the flux method.
In LiNi0.9M0.1PO4(M = Co, Mn), doping increases the lattice constants, unit cell volume, valence bonds, and the anisotropic thermal coefficients. By means of X-ray diffraction and the program package TOPOS, the Li-cation migration maps were obtained.
The Li-ions move along the [010] direction which can be clearly visualized in the mixed-metal LiNi0.9 M0.1PO4(M = Co, Mn) single crystals. It was found that the 10% doping of LiNiPO4 by cobalt ions leads to a decrease in the formation temperature and to the suppression of the incommensurate phase.
The 10% doping of manganese ions increases the transition temperature, while the temperature range of the incommensurate phase narrows. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.