The Root Cause of the Rate Performance Improvement After Metal Doping: A Case Study of LiFePO₄

This study investigates a root cause of the improved rate performance of $LiFePO_4$ after metal doping to Fesites. This is because the metal doped $LiFePO_4$/C maintains its initial capacity at higher C-rates than undoped one. Using $LiFePO_4$/C and doped $LiFe_{0.97}M_{0.03}PO_4$/C (M=$Al^{3+}$, $Cr^{3+}$, $Zr^{4+}$), which are synthesized by a mechanochemical process followed by one-step heat treatment, the Li content before and after chemical delithiation in the $LiFePO_4$/C and the binding energy are compared using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results from AAS and XPS indicate that the low Li content of the metal doped $LiFePO_4$/C after chemical delithiation is attributed to the low binding energy induced by weak Li-O interactions. The improved capacity retention of the doped $LiFePO_4$/C at high discharge rates is, therefore, achieved by relatively low binding energy between Li and O ions, which leads to fast Li diffusivity.