In the field of new energy storage and power batteries, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) holds over 60% of the domestic power battery cathode material market, thanks to its high safety, long cycle life, and low cost. However, the traditional solid-phase method for preparing LFP has significant shortcomings: high-temperature sintering (800-850°C) consumes up to 40% of the total process energy and can easily lead to uneven particle size (with deviations exceeding 15%), affecting battery capacity consistency. Furthermore, the material's inherent electronic conductivity is poor (10⁻⁹ S/cm), requiring the addition of large amounts of conductive agents, which reduces energy density. In recent years, breakthroughs in process optimization and material modification technologies are driving LFP towards low energy consumption and high performance.

Process optimization focuses on "low temperature + integration." During the sintering process, adding LiF flux can lower the sintering temperature to 700-750°C, reducing energy consumption by 25%. It also inhibits excessive grain growth, narrowing the particle size distribution deviation to less than 8%. Some companies have innovated a "sol-gel + spray drying" pretreatment process, thoroughly mixing the lithium, iron, and phosphorus sources in a solution before atomizing and drying them to form a uniform precursor. Subsequent sintering eliminates the need for secondary crushing, increasing the product's tap density to 1.8 g/cm³ (compared to 1.6 g/cm³ using conventional processes), and boosting the battery's volumetric energy density by 12%.

Material modification addresses conductivity challenges. Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are used for coating and modification. The high conductivity of GQDs (10³ S/cm) allows them to form a continuous conductive network on the surface of LFP particles, increasing the material's electronic conductivity by three orders of magnitude. Combined with Al₂O₃ surface modification, this material also inhibits electrolyte-cathode interface reactions, increasing capacity retention from 85% to 92% after 1,000 cycles. Using this modified material, a battery company has achieved a cycle life of over 3,000 cycles, meeting the "ten-year maintenance-free" requirement for energy storage power stations. Currently, the optimized process has been implemented on a large scale: an LFP production line in Hunan uses "low-temperature sintering + GQDs coating" technology, with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons, reducing the cost per ton of product by 800 yuan, and its products are supplied to companies such as CATL and BYD; in the future, with the integration of retired LFP regeneration processes (such as wet recovery of Li and Fe elements, with a recovery rate exceeding 95%) and AI process control (real-time optimization of sintering temperature and holding time), lithium iron phosphate will further support the low-carbon and high-performance development of the new energy industry.