Mesoporous composite of LiFePO4 and carbon microspheres as positive-electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Mesoporous LiFePO_4/C microspheres consisting of LiFePO_4 nanoparticles are successfully fabricated by an eco-friendly hydrothermal approach combined with high-temperature calcinations using cost-effective LiOH and Fe~(3+) salts as raw materials.In this strategy,pure mesoporous LiFePO_4 microspheres,which are composed of LiFePO_4 nanoparticles,were uniformly coated with carbon(~1.5nm).Benefiting from this unique architecture,these mesoporous LiFePO_4/C microspheres can be closely packed,having high tap density.The initial discharge capacity of LiFePO_4/C microspheres as positive-electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries could reach 165.3 mAh/g at 0.1 C rate,which is notably close to the theoretical capacity of LiFePO_4 due to the large BET surface area,which provides for a large electrochemically available surface for the active material and electrolyte.The material also exhibits high rate capability(~100 mAh/g at 8 C) and good cycling stability(capacity retention of 92.2%after 400 cycles at 8 C rate).