Overview of Lithium Iron Phosphate

Interested in the science behind Lithium Iron Phosphate and how it was developed
as a battery electrode? You have come to the right place.

This article aims to discuss the beginnings of LFP in a simple manner for easier
understanding. Allow us to answer the most common questions you may ask about
LFP.

How is LFP Described?

Lithium iron phosphate exists naturally although it is inorganic. It is found in a
mineral called triphylite. The material has LiFePO for its formula and is gray, brown,
red-grey, or black in color. It is a solid matter that is insoluble in water.

You must have noticed that the material has been mentioned and discussed often
recently. That’s because LFP is used as a component of rechargeable batteries in
industrial products and even in consumer electronics that we use very often or daily.

How was LFP developed as a battery component?

Recent technological advancements has allowed us to use LFP in batteries, such as
Li-ion batteries. The batteries are used in electric vehicles like e-bikes, mobile phones,
power tools and even in solar energy installations.

The research team of John B. Goodenough at the University of Texas, discussed LFP
as a potential component of batteries as a cathode or electrode for rechargeable
lithium batteries.

The idea was accepted since the material is cheap and non-toxic, plus there is an
abundance of iron in this planet. Iron itself is very promising since it performs well
electro-chemically, thermally stable, safe and has a specific capacity.

It wasn’t soon before long that LFP was accepted in the market.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. An issue presented itself in commercializing
the material, LFP had poor electrical conductivity. In order to resolve the issue, many
researchers came up with options.

A team of researchers, led by Michael Armand, reduced the particle size and coated
LiFePO with conductive materials. A group of scientists and researchers from Yet
Ming Chiang came up with another idea. They resolved the issue by doping (a term
that refers to the process of introducing impurities to a material or compound) LFP
ions with cations of materials like niobium, zirconium and aluminium.

How did LFP become an important component of Rechargeable Batteries

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT, a prestigious private research
university in Cambridge, Massachusetts developed a coating that allowed better and
more efficient movement of ions within the battery.

The method MIT came up with is now called the "Beltway Battery." In simple term,
the process makes use of a sbypass system that allows the lithium ions to go in and
out of the electrodes at a great speed. This revolutionary solution allowed a battery
to be fully charged within minutes.

Lithium pyrophosphate, a glassy material, was used as a coating for the LFP particles.
It allowed ions to bypass the channels and speed up its movement faster than in
most rechargeable batteries. This technology or solution can significantly both
weight and size of batteries.

In a Nutshell

LFP batteries (acronym stands for ‘lithium ferrophosphate’ in case you didn’t know)
are considered more efficient than its common counterpart lithium cobalt oxide (or
LiCoO.) LiCoO is a design found in many consumer electronics.
In future articles, we’ll talk about why LFP batteries are considered more efficient.
Presently, Lithium Iron Phosphate products are mass produced and used in various
industries.

Click here for more articles about LFP.