Synthesis and electrochemical performance of LiFePO4/graphene composites by solid-state reaction

LiFePO4/graphene composites with graphene content of 5 wt.% were prepared by solid-state reaction. The composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, and their electrochemical properties were investigated by galvanostatic charge and discharge tests. The experimental results show that a three-dimensional conducting network was formed by graphene sheets, which can improve the electronic conductivity of the composites. The LiFePO4/graphene composites exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 161 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 C and the capacity retained 70 mAh g(-1) even at high rate of 50 C. The composites are of great potential use as cathode material in high-power lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and hybrid-electric vehicles. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.