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Download filePolymer-Templated LiFePO4/C Nanonetworks as High-Performance Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries
journal contribution
posted on 2017-12-21, 00:00 authored by Michael
G. Fischer, Xiao Hua, Bodo D. Wilts, Elizabeth Castillo-Martínez, Ullrich SteinerLithium
iron phosphate (LFP) is currently one of the main cathode
materials used in lithium-ion batteries due to its safety, relatively
low cost, and exceptional cycle life. To overcome its poor ionic and
electrical conductivities, LFP is often nanostructured, and its surface
is coated with conductive carbon (LFP/C). Here, we demonstrate a sol–gel
based synthesis procedure that utilizes a block copolymer (BCP) as
a templating agent and a homopolymer as an additional carbon source.
The high-molecular-weight BCP produces self-assembled aggregates with
the precursor-sol on the 10 nm scale, stabilizing the LFP structure
during crystallization at high temperatures. This results in a LFP
nanonetwork consisting of interconnected ∼10 nm-sized particles
covered by a uniform carbon coating that displays a high rate performance
and an excellent cycle life. Our “one-pot” method is
facile and scalable for use in established battery production methodologies.