Synthesis of spindle-shaped nanoporous C-LiFePO4 composite and its application as a cathodes material in lithium ion batteries

► The spindle-shaped LiFePO4 with hierarchical microporous structure self-assembled by nanoparticles has been synthesized by synthesis route B. ► The feeding sequences and iron sources seriously affected the microstructures and electrochemical properties of the resulting LiFePO4 cathodes. ► The cell performances of the synthesized LiFePO4 by synthesis route B were superior to that of LiFePO4 by synthesis route A.