Ultrafast Microwave Synthesis of Carbon-Coated Lithium Vanadium Phosphate Cathode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries

Carbon-coated lithium vanadium phosphate cathode materials were successfully prepared via an ultra-fast microwave irradiation route in 5 min with using activated carbon as the microwave adsorbent. We aimed to utilize this ultra-fast and facile route to shorten the synthesis procedure for obtaining Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C cathode material with superior rate capability. To characterize the intrinsic crystal structure and exterior architecture morphology of targeted material, X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were applied in experiment. The role of microwave irradiation treatment time in affecting the crystalline structure and related lithium-storage electrochemical performance is also investigated in detail. For the optimal Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C material, it delivered a specific discharge capacity of 110.1 mAh g^-1 at a 0.2 C charging/discharging rate while hold a superior cycling stability over 50 cycles when tested at a 1 C rate. The ultra-fast synthesis route should pave a new way to save the energy in the preparation of phosphate-based electroactive cathode material.