A review on lithium iron phosphate cathode materials

Globally,the development of a high-power lithium-ion battery is focused on lithium manganese oxide batteries,lithium cobalt nickel manganese batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries.Lithium iron phosphate is regarded as a practical and popular cathode material for high power lithium-ion batteries due to its high capacity,high rate capability,long cycle life,superior thermal stability and good high-temperature performance.However,the problems associated with commercial production of lithium iron phosphate material are its difficult manufacturing processes and poor material reproducibility.We combined a number of innovative concepts and techniques in the fabrication processes for high quality lithium iron phosphate.Two methods:carbon coating on the surface of the powders and metal cations doping into the crystal lattice have been used to enhance the electronic conductivity and lithium-ion diffusion of LiFePO4 material,respectively.Moreover,effective control of carbon content,surface area,uniformity of carbon layers,and particle-size distribution of powder materials were also used for the production of LiFePO4 with good reproducibility.In this paper,some pertinent results from the above work will be reviewed and discussed.