Abstract
Phospho-olivine LiFePO4 was synthesized by hydrothermal reaction. FeSO4•H2O with high purity of 99.999 % was used as an iron source, and ascorbic acid was used as a reducing agent for sustaining Fe2+ in the starting solution. The powder prepared by the hydrothermal reaction at 170 oC for 12 h was characterized as LiFePO4 with olivine structure by x-ray diffraction method. In addition, the prepared powder was improved by a heat-treatment at 400 oC for 1 h. The sample with the heat-treatment showed excellent charge and discharge capacity near to theoretical one of LiFePO4 at relatively high rate (0.1 C), meaning that well crystallized LiFePO4 was obtained by the hydrothermal reaction, and the particles were stabilized by the heat-treatment. Therefore, it can be said that the hydrothermal reaction is very useful method for the preparation of LiFePO4, which is an attractive cathode candidate for rechargeable lithium battery with high thermal stability.
