US Patent 7632317 Method for making a battery

A method for coating an active material with carbon to form an electrode material is disclosed, comprising: exposing olivine or nasicon to a carbon source gas in a furnace; and heating the carbon source gas to deposit carbon thereon. The carbon source gas, which may be mixed with an inert gas, generally decomposes between 100° C. and 1300° C. to generate carbon material. The amount of coated carbon on the olivine or nasicon is preferably <15 wt %, and more preferably about 4 wt % or less. Also disclosed is a battery comprising: a positive electrode comprising the inventive electrode material; a negative electrode; and an electrolyte.