Olivine-structured pure LiFePO4 and doped Li(M, Fe)PO4 (M=La, Ce, Nd, Mn, Co, Ni) have been synthesized by a solvothermal method.X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy analyses indicate that the as-prepared LiFePO4 is well-crystallized nanopowders without any detectable impurity phases.The electronic conductivity of LiFePO4 is enhanced by around 1-3 orders by doping.It was found that doping alone is not sufficient for the high-rate performance of LiFePO4 and surface coating with such as carbon should be needed.The best dopant for LiFePO4 is Nd among those studied in the present work.Accordingly, doping with 1 mol fraction Nd leads to an increase in 70 mAh/g at 0.1 C for the hydrothermally synthesized sample and 50 mAh/g at 1.0 C after carbon-coating in comparison with the undoped samples.