Enhancement of electrochemical performance for LiFePO4 cathodes via hybrid coating with electron conductor carbon and lithium ion conductor LaPO4

A novel lanthanum phosphate and carbon co-coated LiFePO4 cathode material successfully prepared via liquid-phase precipitation reaction combined with carbothermal reduction method has been studied in Li+ ion batteries. The LiFePO4 electrode modified by carbon layer deposited with appropriate amount of lanthanum phosphate shows higher reversible capacity and stable cycle performance compared with the LiFePO4/C electrode. These superior performances are owing to the good conductivity and stability of the hybrid coating layer which enhances the electron and Li+ ion transport on the surface of the LiFePO4 material, thus elevates the transfer kinetics of the electrode. The LiFePO4/C-LaPO4 (4.0 mol%) electrode showed a stable cyclability and the highest capacity among all the LiFePO4/C-xLaPO4 samples. The initial discharge capacity of the LiFePO4/C-LaPO4 (4.0 mol%) electrode was 150.7, 142.3, 116.6 and 80.3 mA h g−1 at 1, 2, 5 and 10 C rates, respectively.