title: Aqueous synthesis of LiFePO4 with Fractal Granularity.
abstract: Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) electrodes with fractal granularity are reported. They were made from a starting material prepared in water by a low cost, easy and environmentally friendly hydrothermal method, thus avoiding the use of organic solvents. Our method leads to pure olivine phase, free of the impurities commonly found after other water-based syntheses. The fractal structures consisted of nanoparticles grown into larger micro-sized formations which in turn agglomerate leading to high tap density electrodes, which is beneficial for energy density. These intricate structures could be easily and effectively coated with a thin and uniform carbon layer for increased conductivity, as it is well established for simpler microstructures. Materials and electrodes were studied by means of XRD, SEM, TEM, SAED, XPS, Raman and TGA. Last but not least, lithium transport through fractal LiFePO4 electrodes was investigated based upon fractal theory. These water-made fractal electrodes lead to high-performance lithium cells (even at high rates) tested by CV and galvanostatic charge-discharge, their performance is comparable to state of the art (but less environmentally friendly) electrodes.
authors.affiliation: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Zahilia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cabán-Huertas
authors.affiliation: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ayyad
authors.affiliation: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Deepak P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Dubal
authors.affiliation: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gómez-Romero