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A rapid polyol combustion strategy towards scalable synthesis of nanostructured LiFePO4/C cathodes for Li-ion batteries

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Abstract

In the present study, carbon-coated lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4/C) is prepared directly by a polyol-assisted pyro-synthesis performed under reaction times of a few seconds in open-air conditions. The polyol solvent, tetraethylene glycol (TTEG), acts as a low-cost fuel to facilitate combustion and the released exothermic energy promotes the nucleation and growth processes of the olivine nanoparticles. In addition, phosphoric acid (used as the phosphorous source) acts as a catalyst to accelerate polyol carbonization. The structure analysis of the as-prepared LiFePO4/C using X-ray, neutron diffraction and 7Li NMR studies suggested the efficacy of the rapid technique to produce highly crystalline phase-pure olivine nanocrystals. The electron microscopy and particle-size distribution studies revealed that the average particle diameters lie below 100 nm and confirmed the presence of a surface carbon layer of 2–3 nm thickness. The thermal and elemental studies indicated that the carbon content in the sample was approximately 5 %. The prepared LiFePO4/C cathode delivered capacities of 162 mA h g-1 at 0.1 °C rates with impressive capacity retention for extended cycling. The polyol-assisted pyro-synthesis, which evades the use of external energy sources, is not only a straightforward, simple and timely approach but also offers opportunities for large-scale LiFePO4/C production.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Industrial Strategic Technology Development Program (10045401, Development of high-voltage multitransition metal phosphate cathode material) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, South Korea). Also, this work was supported by Priority Research Centers Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2009-0094055).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, 300 Yongbongdong, Bukgu, Gwangju, 500-757, South Korea

    Vinod Mathew, Jihyeon Gim, Eunjoung Kim, Muhammad Hilmy Alfaruqi, Jinju Song, Won Bin Im & Jaekook Kim

  2. Beamline Research Division, Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Pohang, 790-784, South Korea

    Docheon Ahn

  3. Daegu Center, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daegu, 702-701, South Korea

    Younkee Paik

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  1. Vinod Mathew
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  2. Jihyeon Gim
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  3. Eunjoung Kim
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  5. Jinju Song
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  6. Docheon Ahn
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  7. Won Bin Im
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  8. Younkee Paik
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  9. Jaekook Kim
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Correspondence to Jaekook Kim.

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Mathew and Gim contributed equally to this work.

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Mathew, V., Gim, J., Kim, E. et al. A rapid polyol combustion strategy towards scalable synthesis of nanostructured LiFePO4/C cathodes for Li-ion batteries. J Solid State Electrochem 18, 1557–1567 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-013-2378-7

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