Confined synthesis of hierarchical structured LiMnPO₄/C granules by a facile surfactant-assisted solid-state method for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Two-level hierarchical structured LiMnPO4/C granules consisting of LiMnPO4 primary nanoparticles (5–10 nm) and a 3-dimensional conductive carbon skeleton are synthesized through a facile surfactant-assisted solid-state reaction. The small size of primary nanoparticles greatly shortens the diffusion distance of Li ions and the 3D conductive carbon network ensures the electrical continuity throughout the granule. The as-prepared LiMnPO4 cathode with 7.5 wt% carbon exhibits a high specific capacity and superior rate performance with discharge capacities of 130.1 mA h g−1 at 0.05 C, 116.3 mA h g−1 at 1 C and 60.1 mA h g−1 at 20 C. Meanwhile, it can retain 97.5% of the initial capacity after 50 cycles at 0.1 C, revealing a stable cycling stability. Therefore this material has great potential application for advanced Li-ion batteries.