In-Situ Synthesis of LiFePO4/Carbon Cauliflower-Like by Hydrothermal Reaction for Using in Lithium Ion Batteries

The active cauliflower-like LiFePO4 (LFP/Cin) material was synthesized with hydrothermal process in the presence of glucose and then calcined at 600 °C. The physical properties, particle size and morphology of obtained samples were investigated with the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The electrochemical performance of nano-composites was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic cycling performance. The CV curves show that LFP/Cin has higher electrochemical reactivity for lithium insertion and extraction than the LFP conventional cathode material. EIS measurements demonstrated that Rct for LFP/Cin is 70 and 50 percent lower compared to LFP and LFP/Cex respectively. The initial discharge capacity of LiFePO4/Cin cathode material delivers about 133.92 mAh g−1 (82% of theoretical capacity) at 0.1 C and cycling stability with 96.3% of capacity retention after 40 cycles at 0.1 C. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that in-situ carbon coating play an important role in the improvement of battery performance with increasing the conductivity, reduce the particles size and unique structure.