Hydrothermal synthesis of LiCoPO4 cathode materials for rechargeable lithium ion batteries

LiCoPO4 powder with well-developed orthorhombic prism shapes was successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The pH value of the starting solution had significant effects on the phase component, morphology and particle size of the final products. High alkalinity was in favor of the formation of pure orthorhombic LiCoPO4 phase. The formation mechanism was discussed in the paper.