LiFePO₄/C composite cathode material with a continuous porous carbon network for high power lithium-ion battery

A series of LiFePO₄/porous carbon composites with different LiFePO₄ loading amounts were prepared by impregnation from ethanol solution of the LiFePO₄ precursors. The samples were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nitrogen sorption prior to the electrochemical testing. The size and morphology of the porous carbon supported LiFePO₄ nanoparticles depended strongly on the LiFePO₄ loading amounts. The impact of LiFePO₄ loading on the electrochemical performance of the composites was discussed in detail. Among all the samples, the LiFePO₄/microporous carbon composites with the LiFePO₄ loading amount of 19.10 wt.% and 35.58 wt.%, respectively, demonstrated high rate performance with discharge capacity of 60 mAh g^-1 and 66 mAh g^-1 at 50 C.