Mesoporous LiFePO4 as a cathode material for rechargeable lithium ion batteries

Mesoporous LiFePO4 cathode material resembling the structure of Swiss-cheese was prepared by a one-pot reaction using hydrophilic carbon nanoparticles (20-30 nm) as the template. The LiFePO4 has submicronsized particles with a bimodal mesopore size distribution centered at 2.9 and 30 nm. The introduction of mesopore is good for the electrolyte flooding and Li+ diffusion. The 3.8% remaining carbon in the mesopore ensures the complete reduction of Fe3+. It exhibits a high discharge capacity of 137 mAh/g at 1C. After high rate charge and discharge at 30 C (one full discharge in 2 min) its capacity can be recovered to 160 mAh/g. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.