Synthesis of Hierarchical Sisal-Like V2O5 with Exposed Stable {001} Facets as Long Life Cathode Materials for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries

• Published in: ACS applied materials & interfaces 2017-12, Vol.9 (50), p.43681-43687
• Main Authors: Wu, Naiteng, Du, Wuzhou, Liu, Guilong, Zhou, Zhan, Fu, Hong-Ru, Tang, Qianqian, Liu, Xianming, He, Yan-Bing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1944-8244; 1944-8252
• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b13944

Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is considered a promising cathode material for advanced lithium-ion batteries owing to its high specific capacity and low cost. However, the application of V2O5-based electrodes has been hindered because of their inferior conductivity, cycling stability, and power performance. Herein, hierarchical sisal-like V2O5 microstructures consisting of primary one-dimensional (1D) nanobelts with [001] facets orientation growth and rich oxygen vacancies are synthesized through a facile hydrothermal process using polyoxyethylene-20-cetyl-ether as the surface control agent, followed by calcination. The primary 1D nanobelt shortens the transfer path of electrons and ions, and the stable {001} facets could reduce the side reaction at the interface of electrode/electrolyte, simultaneously. Moreover, the formation of low valence state vanadium would generate the oxygen vacancies to facilitate lithium-ion diffusion. As a result, the sisal-like V2O5 manifests excellent electrochemical performances, including high specific capacity (297 mA h g–1 at a current of 0.1 C) and robust cycling performance (capacity fading 0.06% per cycle). This work develops a controllable method to craft the hierarchical sisal-like V2O5 microstructures with excellent high rate and long-term cyclic stability.