Title

Unlocking the energy capabilities of micron-sized LiFePO4

Authors

Limin Guo, State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
Yelong Zhang, State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
Jiawei Wang, State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
Lipo Ma, State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
Shunchao Ma, State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
Yantao Zhang, State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
Erkang Wang, State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
Yujing Bi, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of science, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China.
Deyu Wang, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of science, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China.
William C. McKee, Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
Ye Xu, Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
Jitao Chen, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Qinghua Zhang, School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Lab of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China.
Cewen Nan, School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Lab of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China.
Lin Gu, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 China.
Peter G. Bruce, Departments of Materials and Chemistry, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH UK.
Zhangquan Peng, State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-3-2015

Abstract

Utilization of LiFePO4 as a cathode material for Li-ion batteries often requires size nanonization coupled with calcination-based carbon coating to improve its electrochemical performance, which, however, is usually at the expense of tap density and may be environmentally problematic. Here we report the utilization of micron-sized LiFePO4, which has a higher tap density than its nano-sized siblings, by forming a conducting polymer coating on its surface with a greener diazonium chemistry. Specifically, micron-sized LiFePO4 particles have been uniformly coated with a thin polyphenylene film via the spontaneous reaction between LiFePO4 and an aromatic diazonium salt of benzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate. The coated micron-sized LiFePO4, compared with its pristine counterpart, has shown improved electrical conductivity, high rate capability and excellent cyclability when used as a 'carbon additive free' cathode material for rechargeable Li-ion batteries. The bonding mechanism of polyphenylene to LiFePO4/FePO4 has been understood with density functional theory calculations.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Nature communications

First Page

7898

This document is currently not available here.

COinS