Developments in nanostructured LiMPO4 (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Mn) composites based on three dimensional carbon architecturePart of a web theme on the topic of nanomaterials (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft SPP1181/Nanomaterials program)

Nanostructured materials lie at the heart of fundamental advances in efficient energy storage and/or conversion, in which surface processes and transport kinetics play determining roles. This review describes recent developments in the synthesis and characterization of composites which consist of lithium metal phosphates (LiMPO 4 , M = Fe, Co, Ni, Mn) coated on nanostructured carbon architectures (unordered and ordered carbon nanotubes, amorphous carbon, carbon foams). The major goal of this review is to highlight new progress in using different three dimensional nanostructured carbon architectures as support for the phosphate based cathode materials ( e.g. : LiFePO 4 , LiCoPO 4 ) of high electronic conductivity to develop lithium batteries with high energy density, high rate capability and excellent cycling stability resulting from their huge surface area and short distance for mass and charge transport. Dramatic enhancement in electrochemical performances of the Li-ion battery can be achieved by reconfiguring the electrode materials into 3-D architectures.