Olivine-type LiFePO4/C composite cathode materials were synthesized by a solid-state reaction method in an inert atmosphere. The glucose was added as conductive precursors before the formation of the crystalline phase. The effects of glucose content on the properties of as-synthesized cathode materials were investigated. The crystal structure and the electrochemical performance were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser particle-size distribution measurement and electrochemical performance testing. The material has a single crystal olivine structure with grain-sizes ca. 100-200nm. SEM micrographs and the corresponding energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) data confirm that the carbon particulates produced by glucos, e pyrogenation are uniformly dispersed among the LiFePO4 grains, ensuring a good electronic contact. Impedance spectroscopy was used to investigate the ohmic and kinetic contributions to the cell performance. It is found that increasing the carbon content leads to a reduction of the cell impedance due to the reduction of the charge transfer resistance. The galvanostatically charge and discharge tests show that the material obtained by adding 10% C (by mass) gives a maximum discharge capacity of 140.8 mA(.)h(.)g(-1) at the same rate (C/10). The material also displays a more stable cycle-life than the others.