Effect of rare earth ions doping on properties of LiFePO4/C cathode material

LiFe0.99RE0.01PO4/C cathode material was synthesized by solid-state reaction method using FeC2O4·2H2O, Li2CO3, NH4H2PO4, RE(NO3)3·nH2O as raw materials and glucose as a carbon source. The doping effects of rare earth ions, such as La3+, Ce3+, Nd3+, on the structure and electrochemical properties of LiFePO4/C cathode material were systematically investigated. The as-prepared samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and particle size analysis. The electrochemical properties were investigated in terms of constant-current charge/discharge cycling tests. The XRD results showed that the rare earth ions doping did not change the olivine structure of LiFePO4, and all the doped samples were of single-phase with high crystallinity. SEM and particle size analysis results showed that the doping of La3+, Ce3+ and Nd3+led to the decrease of particle size. The electrochemical results exhibited that the doping of La3+ and Ce3+ could improve the high-rate capability of LiFePO4/C cathode material, among which, the material doped with 1% Ce3+ exhibited the optimal electrochemical properties, whose specific discharge capacities could reach 128.9, 119.5 and 104.4 mAh/g at 1C, 2C and 5C rates, respectively.