Scalable LiCoO2 Nanoparticle Fibers for High Power Lithium Battery Cathodes

We report a simple and scalable synthetic method where we use cotton as a template material to grow LiCoO2 nanoparticles along one dimensional micro-fibers with minimized agglomeration. The final three dimensional porous electrode structure and smaller dimensions of nanoparticles result in efficient ionic accessibility as well as decreased ionic/electronic diffusion lengths during battery cycling. Due to this structural advantage, the nanoparticle fiber structure exhibits substantially improved power performance compared to that of the commercial micron-size counterpart. Even at a fast 2 min discharging rate, a capacity of 90 mAh/g is preserved. Excellent cycling performance is also achieved by maintaining the original electrode structure. The synthetic procedures introduced herein are simple and scalable and thus must be readily applicable to the large-scale syntheses of other lithium battery active materials. (C) 2011 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3625260] All rights reserved.