A gelatin-based sol–gel procedure to synthesize the LiFePO4/C nanocomposite for lithium ion batteries

•Gelatin-based sol-gel method was employed to synthesis the nanosized LiFePO4/C.•The as-synthesized product exhibited a high tap density of 1.42 g cm−3.•The nanocomposite cathode shows good cycling with capacity retention of 95.2%.•The discharge capacity of the cathode can reach 128 mAh g−1 at 5 C.

An additive-free gelatin-based sol–gel procedure was developed to synthesize the nanosized LiFePO4/C powders for lithium ion batteries. The as-synthesized product exhibits a narrow particle size distribution (100–300 nm), and it has a tap density of 1.42 g cm− 3. It is found that the LiFePO4/C nanocomposite cathode shows excellent cycle ability with capacity retention of 95.2% at 0.2 C after 100 cycles. Moreover, the battery has achieved an improved rate performance, and the discharge capacity of the cathode can reach 128 mAh g− 1 at 5 C.