Improving Electrochemical Properties of LiFePO4 by Doping with Gallium

Ga-doped $LiFePO_4$ cathode materials were synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The microstructural characteristics and electrochemical performances were systematically investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, charge-discharge cycling, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Among the as-prepared samples, $LiFe_{0.96}Ga_{0.04}PO_4$ demonstrates the best electrochemical properties in terms of discharge capacity, electrochemical reversibility, and cycling performance with an initial discharge capacity of $125mAh\;g^{-1}$ and high lithium ion diffusion coefficient of $1.38{\times}10^{-14}cm^2s^{-1}$ (whereas for $LiFePO_4$, these were $113mAh\;g^{-1}$ and $8.09{\times}10^{-15}cm^2\;s^{-1}$, respectively). The improved electrochemical performance can be attributed to the facilitation of Li+ ion effective diffusion induced by $Ga^{3+}$ substitution.