Preparation and electrochemical properties of carbon-coated LiFePO4 hollow nanofibers

Carbon-coated LiFePO₄ hollow nanofibers as cathode materials for Li-ion batteries were obtained by coaxial electrospinning. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area analysis, galvanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to investigate the crystalline structure, morphology, and electrochemical performance of the as-prepared hollow nanofibers. The results indicate that the carbon-coated LiFePO₄ hollow nanofibers have good long-term cycling performance and good rate capability: at a current density of 0.2C (1.0C = 170 mA·g-1) in the voltage range of 2.5–4.2 V, the cathode materials achieve an initial discharge specific capacity of 153.16 mAh·g-1 with a first charge–discharge coulombic efficiency of more than 97%, as well as a high capacity retention of 99% after 10 cycles; moreover, the materials can retain a specific capacity of 135.68 mAh·g-1, even at 2C.