Preparation and electrochemical properties of carbon-coated LiFePO4 hollow nanofibers

Carbon-coated LiFePO4 hollow nanofibers as cathode materials for Li-ion batteries were obtained by coaxial electrospinning. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area analysis, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to investigate the crystalline structure, morphology, and electrochemical performance of the as-prepared hollow nanofibers. The results indicate that the carbon-coated LiFePO4 hollow nanofibers have good long-term cycling performance and good rate capability: at a current density of 0.2C (1.0C = 170 mA center dot g(-1)) in the voltage range of 2.5-4.2 V, the cathode materials achieve an initial discharge specific capacity of 153.16 mAh center dot g(-1) with a first charge-discharge coulombic efficiency of more than 97%, as well as a high capacity retention of 99% after 10 cycles; moreover, the materials can retain a specific capacity of 135.68 mAh center dot g(-1), even at 2C.