Tunable electronic structure of heterosite FePO: an in-depth structural study and polaron transport.

The development of better electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries has been intensively investigated both due to their fundamental scientific aspects as well as their usefulness in technological applications. The present technological development of rechargeable batteries is hindered by fundamental challenges, such as low energy and power density, short lifespan, and sluggish charge transport kinetics. Among the various anode materials proposed, heterosite FePO (h-FP) has been found to intercalate lithium and sodium ion hosts to obtain novel rechargeable batteries.

Effect of crystallite size on the phase transition behavior of heterosite FePO.

For advanced lithium-ion battery technology, olivine-based cathodes are considered to be the most dominant and technologically recognized materials. The extraction of lithium ions from olivine LiFePO results in the two-phase mixture with heterosite FePO exhibiting a deintercalation potential of 3.45 V vs.

Direct evidence for the influence of lithium ion vacancies on polaron transport in nanoscale LiFePO.

Improving the electronic conductivity in lithium-based compounds can considerably impact the design of rechargeable batteries. Here, we explore the influence of lithium ion vacancies on the electronic conductivity of LiFePO4, an active cathode material, by varying the crystallite sizes. We find that about 17% lithium ion vacancy concentration leads to an enhancement in electronic conductivity of about two orders of magnitude at 313 K with respect to our initial crystallite size.