Pulse‐assisted fluidization of nanoparticles: Case of lithium iron phosphate material

Abstract Pulse‐assisted fluidization was developed for the fluidization of nanoparticles at high‐temperature processes (eg, above 600°C, depending on the material of interest). The technique was employed for carbon coating of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) nanoparticles with a gas‐phase carbon precursor (ie, propylene) through chemical vapour deposition (PAFB‐CVD). LFP has been extensively investigated as an environmentally friendly and cost‐effective cathode material of rechargeable lithium‐ion batteries. LFP nanoparticles of this research were, in fact, cohesive secondary particles of Geldart's group C. The CVD tests were carried out at temperatures between 600°C‐750°C. Uniform layers of carbon were deposited on the surface of LFP nanoparticles with a thickness less than 10 nm while particles were not sintered under high temperature operations. Also, the generated C‐LFP material held a superior electrical conductivity of 10 10 times more than the conductivity of uncoated raw LFP; it also featured a significant enhancement of discharge capacity despite the considerable delay between the production of raw LFP nanoparticles and the CVD process.