Hydrothermal and Solvothermal Process Towards Development of LiMPO4 (M = Fe, Mn) Nanomaterials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Positive electrodes such as LiFePO4 and LiMnPO4 nanomaterials with olivine structures are considered as most efficient cathode materials for application in lithium ion batteries. Recently, several methods have been proposed for the preparation of lithium metal phosphates as cathodes for lithium ion batteries and their electrochemical performances have been investigated. Over the last 20 years, several synthetic methods have been proposed for lithium metal phosphate nanomaterials. In this review, hydrothermal and solvothermal syntheses of LiFePO4 and LiMnPO4 nanomaterials at low and high temperatures are discussed, including microwave-hydrothermal and microwave-solvothermal methods. The effect of particle size and particle morphology on the electrochemical properties of LiFePO4 and LiMnPO4 cathode materials are also discussed. In addition, the recently emerged supercritical solvothermal and supercritical hydrothermal syntheses of LiFePO4 and LiMnPO4 nanomaterials and their electrochemical property also been addressed.