Preparation and characterization of LiFePO4 cathode materials by hydrothermal method

Phospho-olivine LiFePO4 cathode materials were prepared by hydrothermal reaction at different temperatures. The structural and morphological performance of LiFePO4 powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM). LiFePO4/Li batteries were characterized electrochemically by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and charge/discharge experiments. The XRD results demonstrate that LiFePO4 powder has an orthorhombic olivine-type structure with a space group of Pnma. Among the synthesized cathode materials, LiFePO4 synthesized at 170 deg C and subsequent 500 deg C shows the best electrochemical properties with an initial discharge capacity of 167mAh g-1 (98% of theoretical capacity) close to the theoretical capacity of LiFePO4 (170mAh g-1) at 0.1C rate.