Electrochemical performance of LiFePO4/C cathode material modified with V2O5

LiFePO 4 /C composites are prepared from amorphous FePO 4 ∙ x H 2 O and are modified with crystalline metal oxide V 2 O 5 by using a solid-state reaction process. The crystalline structure and the morphology of the synthesized powders have been characterized by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, and the electrochemical performances have been evaluated by using cyclic voltammetry measurements and galvanostatic charge/discharge tests. The vanadium, which is present as vanadium trioxide, is found to manipulate the residual amount of carbon in LiFePO 4 /C, which is related to the electrical conductivity of the material. Based on the investigated samples, the pristine LiFePO 4 /C material exhibits the best electrochemical properties. The results in this study indicate that surface modification with crystalline V 2 O 5 may not be an effective way to improve the overall properties of LiFePO 4 /C, which is often used as a cathode for lithium-ion batteries.