In situ carbon coated LiFePO4/C microrods with improved lithium intercalation behavior

Abstract

LiFePO₄/C microrods consisting of building blocks of interconnected nanoparticles surrounded by a thin and amorphous coating of carbon have been prepared by a customized hydrothermal method. Appreciable discharge capacity values of 168 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.1 C and 130 mA h g⁻¹ at 5 C rates have been exhibited by the currently synthesized LiFePO₄/C cathode. The study enumerates the feasibility of exploiting the hydrothermal method to prepare an in situ carbon coated LiFePO₄/C compound with tunable morphological properties and desirable electrochemical properties observed for up to 100 cycles at a 5 C rate.