Effect of polyethylene glycol on vanadium oxide nanotubes in lithium-ion batteries

Vanadium oxide (V2O5) nanotubes and polyethylene glycol (PEG) surfactant V2O5 nanotubes were synthesized using simple hydrothermal process. The electrochemical performance of these nanostructures was investigated for the application of Li batteries. Microstructure and morphology of the samples were studied by XRD, FTIR, FE-SEM and TEM analysis. The results showed that the H atoms of PEG are hydrogen bonded with the O atoms in V=O bonds of the V2O5, which effectively shielded against electrostatic interaction between the V2O5 interlayer and Li+ ions. The battery of V2O5 nanotubes electrode showed initial specific capacity 192 mAhg(-1), whereas the PEG surfactant V2O5 nanotubes exhibited 204 mAhg(-1). It was found that PEG surfactant V2O5 nanotubes material showed high specific capacity at initial stages besides better stability was exhibited at higher cycle numbers when compared to V2O5 nanotubes. The cyclic performance of the PEG surfactant material seems to be improved with the role of polymeric component due to its surface reaction with V2O5 nanotubes during the hydrothermal synthesis. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.