Solid state synthesis and characterization of LiFePO 4 / C as cathode material for Li-ion batteries
In the past few decades, over-consumption of fossil fuels led to serious environmental issues and depletion of their reserves. High demand for replacement of these sources of energy with renewable ones, has directed researchers toward lithium ion batteries. Outstanding performance of lithium ion batteries makes them attractive for wide range of applications, such as portable electronic devices, electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. Active material for positive electrode is one of the most important parts of the battery, which mostly determines its cost and performance. Many cathode materials have been subjects of studies over years and they include different classes of crystal structures: layered (LiCoO2), spinel (LiMn2O4) and olivine (LiFePO4) frameworks (Julien et al., 2014). However, iron-based compounds containing phosphate anion have been under intense research since 1997, when Goodenough and co-workers proposed LiFePO4 as the most promising candidate for cathode material in lithium ion battery (Padhi et al., 1997).