Spray Drying-­Assisted Synthesis of Na2FePO4F/CB and Na2FePO4F/CNT Composite Cathodes for Lithium Ion Battery

Fluorophosphates are considered among the most interesting series of cathode materials for Li/Na-ion batteries. Na2FePO4F, with layered structure and two-dimensional pathways for facile Na+/Li+ transport [1], exhibits minimal structural changes (3.7%) upon reduction/oxidation. The average working voltage is 3.3 V versus Li+/Li. However, one of the key drawbacks of Na2FePO4F electrodes is their low intrinsic electronic conductivity.
In this work, we report on the synthesis of Na2FePO4F by spray-drying, a technique which is easily scaled-up from the lab- to the industrial-scale and ensures a good homogeneity of all precursors. We are investigating the replacement of the grinding step by the addition of conductive carbon (carbon black and carbon nanotubes) to the solution containing the inorganic precursors of the Na2FePO4F phase in order to prepare Na2FePO4F/CB and Na2FePO4F/CNT with different ratios of CB and CNT (10 and 20%) and enhanced conductivity. The electrochemical performance shows that the addition of CNT improves remarkably the capacity of the NFPF electrode material thanks to better CNT dispersion inside and at the surface of the NFPF particles which enhances the electronic conductivity.
Acknowledgements: The authors thank the Walloon Region for support under the “PE Plan Marshall 2.vert” program (BATWAL -1318146). A. Mahmoud is grateful to the Walloon region for a Beware Fellowship Academia 2015-1, RESIBAT n° 1510399.
References
[1] M. Brisbois, S. Caes, M-T. Sougrati, B. Vertruyen, A. Schrijnemakers, R. Cloots, N. Eshraghi, R-P. Hermann, A. Mahmoud, F. Boschini, Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells 148 (2015) 11-19.