Facile Synthesis of Carbon-Coated LiFeBO3 Microspheres by Spray Drying and Their Structural Properties

Abstract

Spherical LiFeBO3 (LFB) powder was successfully synthesized by a commercially available spray drying process. The powders were coated with a layer of carbon through a calcination step. This simple method allowed for fabrication of the powder with spherical particles and a homogeneous carbon coating. The crystal configuration, microstructure, and nature of the carbon coating were investigated by Rietveld refinement, Mossbauer spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The characterized structure had a monoclinic phase and belonged to the C2/c space group. The synthesized particles had a radius of 5 mu m and were covered by a 6.5-nm-thick carbon coating. The spherical geometry of LFB with a well-encapsulated carbon coating layer is expected to enhanced powder density and result in good electrical performance. This preliminary study are expected to contribute to a deeper understanding of the novel LFB and aid the development of an effective method to fabricate cathode materials for Li-ion batteries.