Olivine phosphates as cathode material became attractive due to the greater structural stability of (PO4)3- units compared to other counterparts like LiCoO2, LiNixMnyCozO2 and LiMn2O4. Since 1997 Goodenough’s group had introduced LiFePO4 as cathode material, it has been one of the major cathode materials, especially in China EV battery market currently. However, the energy density (578 Wh/kg) is limited due to the low operating potential 3.4 V vs. Li. Development of high energy density (700 Wh/kg) LiMnPO4 cathode material became attractive due to its high operating voltage 4.1 V vs. Li, which falls within the electrochemical stability window of conventional electrolytes.

With Wildcat Discovery Technologies’ high throughput research workflow, we developed a low cost and scalable method for LiMnPO4 with capacity > 150 mAh/g, 1C rate > 95%, and > 90% capacity retention over 500 cycles. This research was systematically studied in precursor selection, doping screen, composition, coating, synthesis conditions and electrolyte formulation screen. Moreover, this technology has been successfully demonstrated in 1Kg per batch synthesis.