Single-Crystalline LiFePO4 Nanosheets for High-Rate Lithium Batteries

The lithiation/delithiation in LiFePO₄ is highly anisotropic with lithium ion diffusion being mainly confined to channels along the b-axis. Controlling the morphology and crystal orientation of LiFePO₄ material therefore plays an important role for efficient mass and change transport within this material. We will present our recent effort on the preparation of single crystalline LiFePO₄ nanosheets with a large percentage of highly oriented {010} facets, which provide the highest pore density for lithium ion insertion/extraction. The LiFePO₄ nanosheets show a high specific capacity at low charge/discharge rates, and retain significant capacities at high C-rates, which may benefit the development of lithium batteries with both favorable energy and power density.