Preparation of LiFePO4 Nanoparticles in Virtue of Triblock Copolymer P123 and Their Application in Li-ion Battery

LiFePO4 nanoflakes with a lateral size of ca. 100 nm have been prepared by calcining the samples synthesized via a conventional hydrothermal method assisted with triblocks copolymer P123. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were employed to investigate the crystal structure and morphology of the obtained samples. The results show that the hydrothermally synthesized LiFePO4 samples in the presence of P123 are composed of self-assembled flakes with a larger lateral size over 400 nm by the primary nanoflakes. After calcinations at high temperature in flowing N-2, the self-assembled LiFePO4 flakes decompose to nanoflakes with well dispersion. Moreover, due to the nanoscale in size and carbon film encapsulation, the as-prepared LiFePO4 nanoflakes exhibit excellent performance as cathode applied in Li-ions battery.