Synthesis and characterization of high power LiFePO4/C nano-plate thin films

Abstract Tunable LiFePO 4 /C thin films demonstrating high power were fabricated by drop-casting a LiFePO 4 nano-plate/sucrose suspension on titanium foil, followed by pyrolysis at 600 °C for 3 h in nitrogen. The thickness, carbon content, and morphology of the LiFePO 4 /C film cathode can be adjusted by changing the amount of drop-cast, sucrose solution concentration and LiFePO 4 raw material. For this work, well-crystallized LiFePO 4 nano-plates synthesized via solvothermal route were used to prepare high power LiFePO 4 /C thin films. The resultant binder-free films consisted of well-packed LiFePO 4 nano-plates coated with nano-carbon, a result of sucrose pyrolysis, and were directly assembled into cells for testing. The LiFePO 4 /C nano-composite film cathode delivered a lithium ion intercalation capacity of 162 mAh g −1 and 90 mAh g −1 at current density of 170 mA g −1 (1 C) and 1.7 A g −1 (10 C), respectively, while demonstrating excellent cyclic stability.