Recent developments in the doping and surface modification of LiFePO4 as cathode material for power lithium ion battery

Lithium ion batteries have become attractive for portable devices due to their higher energy density compared to other systems. With a growing interest to develop rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) is considered to replace the currently used LiCoO₂ cathodes in lithium ion cells. LiFePO₄ is a technically important cathode material for new-generation power lithium ion battery applications because of its abundance in raw materials, environmental friendliness, perfect cycling performance, and safety characteristics. However, the commercial use of LiFePO₄ cathode material has been hindered to date by their low electronic conductivity. This review highlights the recent progress in improving and understanding the electrochemical performance like the rate ability and cycling performance of LiFePO₄ cathode. This review sums up some important researches related to LiFePO₄ cathode material, including doping and coating on surface. Doping elements with coating conductive film is an effective way to improve its rate ability.