Preparation and electrochemical performance of LiFePO4/C microspheres by a facile and novel co-precipitation

LiFePO4 and LiFePO4/C microspheres are successfully synthesized via facile co-precipitation in an elevated temperature oil bath. Their morphologies and structures are investigated by X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. LiFePO4/C microspheres are uniform between 2 and 4 mm in diameter and composed of nanoparticles from 30 to 80 nm in size. Nanoparticles are coated by a thin nano-carbon layer and imbedded into three-dimensional nano-carbon networks. LiFePO4/C microspheres exhibit a high tap density (1.82 g cm(-3)), deliver large reversible discharge capacity of 165 mA h g(-1) at 0.1C rate, excellent rate capability of 106 mA h g(-1) at 50C rate, and capacity retention over 98% after 20 cycles even applied 50C rate. Therefore, the material is a potential candidate for high-power lithium ion batteries. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.