LiFePO4-Fe2P-C composite cathode: An environmentally friendly promising electrode material for lithium-ion battery

In this investigation, the synthesis strategy is involved the creation of LiFePO4-Fe2P-C composites with a porous conductive architecture, which includes distinct regions or clusters containing antiferromagnetic LiFePO4 in close proximity to ferromagnetic Fe2P. The microstructure is achieved by using a simple ultra-fast solvent assisted manual grinding method, combined with solid state reaction, which can replace the time-consuming high energy ball milling method. The crystalline structure, morphology, and electrochemical characterization of the synthesised product are investigated systematically. The electrochemical performance is outstanding, especially the high C rate. The composite cathode is found to display specific capacity of 167 mAh g(-1) at 0.2 C and 146 mAh g(-1) at 5 C after 100 cycles, respectively. At the high current density of 1700 mA g(-1) (IOC rate), it exhibits long-term cycling stability, retaining around 96% (131 mAh g(-1)) of its original discharge capacity beyond 1000 cycles, which can meet the requirements of a lithium-ion battery for large-scale power applications. The obtained results have demonstrated that the fabrication of samples with strong and extensive antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic interface coupling of LiFePO4/Fe2P provides a versatile strategy toward improving the electrochemical properties of LiFePO4 materials and also opens up a new window for material scientists to further study the new exchange bias phenomenon and its ability to enhance the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion battery electrode. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.