Enhanced thermal safety and high power performance of carbon-coated LiFePO4 olivine cathode for Li-ion batteries

The carbon-coated LiFePO4 Li-ion oxide cathode was studied for its electrochemical, thermal, and safety performance. This electrode exhibited a reversible capacity corresponding to more than 89% of the theoretical capacity when cycled between 2.5 and 4.0 V. Cylindrical 18,650 cells with carbon-coated LiFePO4 also showed good capacity retention at higher discharge rates up to 5C rate with 99.3% coulombic efficiency, implying that the carbon coating improves the electronic conductivity. Hybrid Pulse Power Characterization (HPPC) test performed on LiFePO4 18,650 cell indicated the suitability of this carbon-coated LiFePO4 for high power HEV applications. The heat generation during charge and discharge at 0.5C rate, studied using an Isothermal Microcalorimeter (IMC), indicated cell temperature is maintained in near ambient conditions in the absence of external cooling. Thermal studies were also investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and Accelerating Rate Calorimeter (ARC), which showed that LiFePO4 is safer, upon thermal and electrochemical abuse, than the commonly used lithium metal oxide cathodes with layered and spinel structures. Safety tests, such as nail penetration and crush test, were performed on LiFePO4 and LiCoO2 cathode based cells, to investigate on the safety hazards of the cells upon severe physical abuse and damage. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.