A Solid-State Method for Preparing Cobalt-Doped Li5FeO4 Using Fe(NO3)3 as the Iron Source

In the absence of inert gas protection, a cathode material of Co-doped Li5FeO4 was successfully prepared by a solid-state method, i.e., a mixture containing Fe(NO3)3•9H2O, LiOH•H2O and Co(NO3)2•6H2O was thoroughly ground leading to a powder, and then this mixture was sintered at various temperatures, generating the material of Co-doped Li5FeO4. The obtained samples were featured by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and its specific capacity, cycle property and rate capabilities were also measured. A novel iron source was employed in the work though the electrochemical performance of the Co-doped Li5FeO4 was not very satisfactory. This method using carbon coating as protection is a very simple and useful tool to synthesize Li5FeO4, especially for the industrial application.