Abstract

Microspherical and uniform LiFePO₄/C was successfully prepared by a spray drying method assisted with template. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The as-synthesized LiFePO₄/C was used as cathode materials for battery evaluation. The material prepared with PVA as template possess perfect olivine structure of lithium ion battery with uniform size distribution. A sample prepared with optimum conditions achieved a capacity of 156.7 mAh g^–1 at a rate of 0.1 C, and no obvious degradation can be observed after 15 cycles at various rates. It was found that the template affected the structure and performance of the material significantly, the addition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as template resulted in uniform microsphere morphology and high performance.

Keywords: LiFePO₄/C, nano-micro microspheres, PVA, Spray drying, template