Oxygen-vacancy-rich LFP materials: A leap towards rapid charging solutions for electric vehicles while retaining superior safety and longevity

Benefiting from the superior thermal and chemical stability of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4, LFP) cathode, LFP batteries have shown outstanding safety and long span and are favored for both electric vehicles and energy storage applications. However, the fast-charging and low-temperature performance of LFP batteries is limited by the intrinsically poor ionic and electronic conductivity of LFP cathode. Importantly, it is still challenging to improve the intrinsic Li⁺/electron transport in LFP.

A team of materials scientists, led by Huang Yunhui and Yao Yonggang from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, has recently introduced a gas-assisted transient synthesis (GATS) method of LFP synthesis. This innovative approach enables dynamic control of oxygen vacancies (Ov) in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) while significantly enhancing both electronic and ionic conductivity, thereby achieving exceptional high-rate cycling stability.

The team published their research paper in Nano Research on July 16, 2025.

“In this paper, we present a gas-assisted transient synthesis (GATS, ~30 seconds) of LFP with controllable Ov for enhanced rate performance yet without sacrificing structural integrity or cycling stability. Benefited by the ultrafast heating and a higher synthesis temperature, we revealed that the LFP synthesis in GATS followed an interface reaction mechanism (rapid core shrinking) with a low activation energy (Ea), thus reducing the synthesis time from ~16.5 hours in tube furnace heating (TFH, often nuclei-growth mechanism) to merely seconds.” said Yong-gang Yao, senior author of the research paper, professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

“Introducing oxygen vacancies (O_v) into LFP is an effective method to accelerate the transportation of Li-ions and electrons within LFP for promising battery performances. However, the inherent stability and strong P-O covalent bond in LFP make the formation and regulation of O_v difficult.” said Yong-gang Yao.

“The rapid synthesis combined with the strongly non-equilibrium nature of this GATS method facilitate the controllable introducing O_v into LFP. This strategy provides a kinetic pathway for the rapid synthesis and structural engineering of LFP, thereby unlocking its potential for broader energy storage applications.” said Yong-gang Yao.

One of the challenges of LFP battery development is achieving higher capacity in low-temperature and fast-charging applications. To address this issue, researchers have focused on enhancing both electronic and ionic conductivity, which are critical factors limiting the performance of LFP batteries under these demanding conditions. By improving these properties, researchers aim to enable faster lithium-ion transport and more efficient electron transfer within the battery, thereby significantly boosting the battery's performance in cold environments and during rapid charging processes.

“The research team expects the study to make the manufacturing of LFP materials with superior performance more economical and scalable, facilitating broader industrial applications,” said Yong-gang Yao.

Other contributors include Dinggen Li and XiaoJi.from the School of Energy and Power Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China; and Hao Zhang and Jinming Guo, form Electron Microscopy Center, Ministry-of-Education Key Laboratory of Green Preparation and Application for Functional Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering at Hubei University, Wuhan, China  

This project is supported by the Key R&D Program of Hubei Province (2024BCB091) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (2022CFA031). The authors thank test support from the Analytical and Testing Center of Huazhong University of Science & Technology and the State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology.

About the Authors

Yaduo Song is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. She graduated from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China with a master's degree in 2021. Her research interest mainly focuses on the ultrafast synthesis and rapid direct regeneration of LFP materials.

Hao Zhang is currently working as a lecturer at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University. He graduated from University of Science and Technology of China with a doctor's degree in 2018. He did postdoctoral work in Prof. Yao's group at Huazhong University of Science and Technology from 2021 to 2023. His research interest mainly focuses on the direct recycling of spent battery materials.

Yonggang Yao is a Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He obtained his Ph.D. degree at the University of Maryland with Dr. Liangbing Hu. His research mainly focuses on the transient high-temperature synthesis and data-driven material discovery, particularly in the field of energy materials and low-carbon rapid manufacturing.

Yunhui Huang is a Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He received his Ph.D. degree from Peking University. From 2002 to 2004, he worked as an associate professor at Fudan University and as a JSPS fellow at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. He then conducted postdoctoral research under the mentorship of Mr. John B. Goodenough at the University of Texas at Austin from 2004 to 2007. His research interests include lithium-ion batteries, next-generation batteries, and electrode materials.