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Physical and electrochemical properties of La-doped LiFePO4/C composites as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

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Abstract

Olivine-type LiFePO4 is one of the most promising cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, but its poor conductivity and low lithium-ion diffusion limit its practical application. The electronic conductivity of LiFePO4 can be improved by carbon coating and metal doping. A small amount of La-ion was added via ball milling by a solid-state reaction method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/mapping, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM)/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and total organic carbon (TOC). Their electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, four-point probe conductivity measurements, and galvanostatic charge and discharge tests. The results indicate that these La-ion dopants do not affect the structure of the material but considerably improve its rate capacity performance and cyclic stability. Among the materials, the LiFe0.99La0.01PO4/C composite presents the best electrochemical behavior, with a discharge capacity of 156 mAh g−1 between 2.8 and 4.0 V at a 0.2 C-rate compared to 104 mAh g−1 for undoped LiFePO4. Its capacity retention is 80% after 497 cycles for LiFe0.99La0.01PO4/C samples. Such a significant improvement in electrochemical performance should be partly related to the enhanced electronic conductivities (from 5.88 × 10−6 to 2.82 × 10−3 S cm−1) and probably the mobility of Li+ ion in the doped samples. The LiFe0.99La0.01PO4/C composite developed here could be used as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries.

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank Prof. W. H. Li (Department of Physics, National Central University) for his valuable suggestions and the use of Raman spectrometer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Central University, Chung-Li, Taiwan, 32054, People’s Republic of China

    Yung-Da Cho & George Ting-Kuo Fey

  2. Department of Chemistry, National Central University, Chung-Li, Taiwan, 32054, People’s Republic of China

    Hsien-Ming Kao

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  1. Yung-Da Cho
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  2. George Ting-Kuo Fey
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  3. Hsien-Ming Kao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to George Ting-Kuo Fey.

Additional information

Contribution to ICMAT 2007, Symposium K: Nanostructural and bulk materials for electrochemical power sources, July 1–6, 2007, Singapore

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Cho, YD., Fey, G.TK. & Kao, HM. Physical and electrochemical properties of La-doped LiFePO4/C composites as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. J Solid State Electrochem 12, 815–823 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-007-0498-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-007-0498-7

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