title: Unlocking the energy capabilities of micron-sized LiFePO4.
abstract: Utilization of LiFePO4 as a cathode material for Li-ion batteries often requires size nanonization coupled with calcination-based carbon coating to improve its electrochemical performance, which, however, is usually at the expense of tap density and may be environmentally problematic. Here we report the utilization of micron-sized LiFePO4, which has a higher tap density than its nano-sized siblings, by forming a conducting polymer coating on its surface with a greener diazonium chemistry. Specifically, micron-sized LiFePO4 particles have been uniformly coated with a thin polyphenylene film via the spontaneous reaction between LiFePO4 and an aromatic diazonium salt of benzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate. The coated micron-sized LiFePO4, compared with its pristine counterpart, has shown improved electrical conductivity, high rate capability and excellent cyclability when used as a 'carbon additive free' cathode material for rechargeable Li-ion batteries. The bonding mechanism of polyphenylene to LiFePO4/FePO4 has been understood with density functional theory calculations.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Yelong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
authors.forename: Jiawei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
authors.forename: Lipo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Shunchao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Yantao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
authors.forename: Erkang
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of science, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China.
authors.forename: Yujing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of science, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China.
authors.forename: Deyu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Jitao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Lab of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qinghua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Lab of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Cewen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nan
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Departments of Materials and Chemistry, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH UK.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
authors.forename: Zhangquan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Peng