Controllable synthesis of LiFePO₄ microrods and its superior electrochemical performance

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) cathode materials with microparticles (MPs) and microrods (MRs) for lithium-ion battery were synthesized through a hydrothermal process. The influence of controllable and uncontrollable growth of LiFePO₄ (LFP) particles and its impact on microstructural, thermal, mechanical and electrochemical properties were discussed. Free-standing LiFePO₄/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite electrodes were prepared using a tape-casting technique and used for mechanical and electrochemical analysis. LFP-MR/MWCNT composite electrode exhibited a high specific capacity (~192 mAh/g at 0.1 C) beyond the theoretical specific capacity of LiFePO₄ (~170 mAh/g at 1 C). Further, to evaluate the failure mode of battery, LFP-MR/MWCNTs composite electrode has been tested electrochemically up to 600 cycles at 10 C rate.