A novel solid state reaction route to the preparation of LiCoO2 using micro porous filter paper as scaffolds

A novel solid state reaction method has been followed to prepare LiCoO _2 (LCO) using micro porous filter paper as scaffolds. FT-IR spectroscopy confirms the vibration spectrum for the identification of CoO _6 as well as LCO. XRD diffraction analyses confirmed the formation rhombohedral crystal system of the prepared LCO materials with R-3m space group. The sharp XRD diffractogram of filter paper scaffold LCO demonstrate its crystallinity and purity. The presence of high intensity (003) plane, formation of Co–O–Co linkage with (104) plane and splitting of (006)/(012); (108)/(110) planes confirm layered structure of the prepared LCO. FESEM demonstrate that the presence of micropores in the cellulose backbone of filter played significant role for the solid state reaction and can be used as a scaffold to change the morphology of LCO in the microstructural aspect. UV-visible spectroscopy study reveals that the band gap energy of filter papers assisted LCO are less than the LCO prepared directly from raw materials.