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Carbon nanotube directed three-dimensional porous Li2FeSiO4 composite for lithium batteries

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Abstract

Lithium iron silicate (Li2FeSiO4) is capable of affording a much higher capacity than conventional cathodes, and thus, it shows great promise for high-energy battery applications. However, its capacity has often been adversely affected by poor reaction activity due to the extremely low electronic and ionic conductivity of silicates. Here, we for the first time report on a rational engineering strategy towards a highly active Li2FeSiO4 by designing a carbon nanotube (CNT) directed three-dimensional (3D) porous Li2FeSiO4 composite. As the CNT framework enables rapid electron transport, and the rich pores allow efficient electrolyte penetration, this unique 3D Li2FeSiO4-CNT composite exhibits a high capacity of 214 mAh·g−1 and retains 96% of this value over 40 cycles, thus, outstripping many previously reported Li2FeSiO4-based materials. Kinetic analysis reveals a high Li+ diffusivity due to coupling of the migration of electrons and ions. This research highlights the potential for engineering 3D porous structure to construct highly efficient electrodes for battery applications.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51302181, 51372159, 51422206, and 51672182), the Thousand Youth Talents Plan, the Jiangsu Shuangchuang Plan, the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Nos. BK20151219 and BK20140009), the Jiangsu Undergraduate Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project, the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), and Russian Scientific Fund (No. 14-43-00072).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy, Center for Energy Conversion Materials & Physics (CECMP), Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China

    Wencong Wang, Haichen Liang, Ling Zhang, Jiangfeng Ni & Liang Li

  2. Chemistry Department, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Serguei V. Savilov

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  1. Wencong Wang
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  2. Haichen Liang
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  5. Jiangfeng Ni
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Correspondence to Jiangfeng Ni or Liang Li.

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Wang, W., Liang, H., Zhang, L. et al. Carbon nanotube directed three-dimensional porous Li2FeSiO4 composite for lithium batteries. Nano Res. 10, 229–237 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-016-1280-x

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