Application and prospects for using carbon materials to modify lithium iron phosphate materials used at low temperatures

LiFePO₄, one of the most widely used cathode materials in Li -ion batteries, has many excellent properties, such as low-cost, long life and excellent safety. Unfortunately, its poor performance at low temperature hinders its use in cold regions of the world. The incorporation of carbon materials, which also have excellent electronic and ionic conductivity, in LiFePO₄ offers a promising way to solve this problem. We first briefly introduce the fade mechanism of LiFePO₄ cells at low temperature, and the preparation methods, structure, and electrochemical performance of carbon-modified LiFePO₄ materials are then summarized with a focus on carbon coatings, various carbon conductive fillers and nano-carbon modification. A combination of compositing the LiFePO₄ with carbon, followed by carbon coating is a promising way of fabricating a material for use at low-temperatures. Besides conventional carbon black, other conductive additives such as graphene and carbon nanotubes also have great potential for use in LiFePO₄ batteries at low temperatures. The problems encountered and the future development of these composites are also discussed.