High-performance mesoporous LiFePO₄ from Baker's yeast
Xudong Zhang1, Xueguang Zhang, Wen He
1Shandong Key Provincial Laboratory of Processing and Testing Technology of Glass and Functional Ceramics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong Polytechnic University, Jinan 250353, China. zxd1080@126.com
Abstract:
Based on the biomineralization assembly concept, a simple and inexpensive biomimetic sol-gel method is found to synthesize high-performance mesoporous LiFePO(4) (HPM-LFP). The key step of this approach is to apply Baker's yeast cells as both a structural template and a biocarbon source. The formation mechanism of ordered hierarchical mesoporous network structure is revealed by characterizing its morphology and microstructure. The HPM-LFP exhibits outstanding electrochemical performances. The HPM-LFP has a high discharge capacity (about 153 mAh g(-1) at a 0.1 C rate), only 2% capacity loss from the initial value after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.1 C. This simple and potentially universal design strategy is currently being pursued in the synthesis of an ideal cathode-active material for high power applications.
