Synthesis of LiFePO<inf>4</inf>@carbon nanotube core-shell nanowires with a high-energy efficient method for superior lithium ion battery cathodes

A high-energy efficient method is developed for the synthesis of LiFePO<inf>4</inf>@CNT core-shell nanowire structures. The method consists of two steps: liquid deposition approach to prepare FePO<inf>4</inf>@CNT core-shell nanowires and solvothermal lithiation to obtain the LiFePO<inf>4</inf>@CNT core-shell nanowires at a low temperature. The solution phase method can be easily scaled up for commercial application. The performance of the materials produced by this method is evaluated in Li ion batteries. The one-dimensional LiFePO<inf>4</inf>@CNT nanowires offer a stable and efficient backbone for electron transport. The LiFePO<inf>4</inf>@CNT core-shell nanowires exhibit a high capacity of 132.8 mAh g^-1 at a rate of 0.2C, as well as high rate capability (64.4 mAh g^-1 at 20C) for Li ion storage.