Open AccessSurfactant‐Mediated and Morphology‐Controlled Nanostructured LiFePO 4 /Carbon Composite as a Promising Cathode Material for Li‐Ion Batteries
Author(s) -
Khan Sourav,
Raj Rayappan Pavul,
George Laurel,
Kannangara G. S. Kamali,
Milev Adriyan,
Varadaraju Upadhyayula V.,
Selvam Parasuraman
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemistryopen
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 29
ISSN - 2191-1363
DOI - 10.1002/open.201900175
Subject(s) - materials science , chemical engineering , nanocrystalline material , poloxamer , electrochemistry , copolymer , electrode , nanoparticle , cathode , carbon fibers , pulmonary surfactant , nanotechnology , composite number , composite material , chemistry , polymer , engineering
The synthesis of morphology‐controlled carbon‐coated nanostructured LiFePO 4 (LFP/Carbon) cathode materials by surfactant‐assisted hydrothermal method using block copolymers is reported. The resulting nanocrystalline high surface area materials were coated with carbon and designated as LFP/C123 and LFP/C311. All the materials were systematically characterized by various analytical, spectroscopic and imaging techniques. The reverse structure of the surfactant Pluronic® 31R1 (PPO‐PEO‐PPO) in comparison to Pluronic® P123 (PEO‐PPO‐PEO) played a vital role in controlling the particle size and morphology which in turn ameliorate the electrochemical performance in terms of reversible specific capacity (163 mAh g −1 and 140 mAh g −1 at 0.1 C for LFP/C311 and LFP/C123, respectively). In addition, LFP/C311 demonstrated excellent electrochemical performance including lower charge transfer resistance (146.3 Ω) and excellent cycling stability (95 % capacity retention at 1 C after 100 cycles) and high rate capability (163.2 mAh g −1 at 0.1 C; 147.1 mAh g −1 at 1 C). The better performance of the former is attributed to LFP nanoparticles (<50 nm) with a specific spindle‐shaped morphology. Further, we have also evaluated the electrode performance with the use of both PVDF and CMC binders employed for the electrode fabrication.