A facile synthesis route for porous spherical LiFePO4/C microscale secondary particles

Porous spherical LiFePO4/C microscale secondary particles have been synthesized by the low-temperature hydrothermal method combined with high-temperature calcinations. The synthetic method is facile and easy to scale-up. The spherical microscale secondary particles (5-6 mu m) with porous structures are composed of carbon-coated primary nanoparticles (40-80 nm), which posses high electronic conductivity, short lithium ion diffusion paths, and high tap density of approximately 1.4 g cm(-3). The product delivers desirable electrochemical performances, such as a high rate capacity of 95 mA h g(-1) at 5C and stable cycle life. The LiFePO4 electrode with desired features is a promising cathode candidate for high-power rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.