LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 cathode material was prepared by sol-gel method and annealed at 850 degrees C for 15 h. The prepared powder was coated with ZnO by dissolving zinc acetate in methanol and LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 powder was mixed in this solution followed by the continuous stirring for 4 h. The LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 and ZnO-coated LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 powder Was structurally characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The coin cell was fabricated using ZnO-coated LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 as cathode materials, LiPF6, dissolved in ethylene carbonate (EC)/dimethyl carbonate (DMC) (1:1 wt ratio) as electrolyte, and Li foil as anode. It was found that ZnO-coated LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 cathode materials had the initial discharge capacity of about 146 mA h g(-1). The discharge capacity retention after 50 cycles was found to be nearly 97%. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.