Sandwich nanoarchitecture of LiV3O8/graphene multilayer nanomembranes via layer-by-layer self-assembly for long-cycle-life lithium-ion battery cathodes

A lack of suitable high-performance cathode materials has become the major barrier to their applications in future advanced communication equipment and electric vehicle power systems. In this paper, we have developed a layer-by-layer self-assembly approach for fabricating a novel sandwich nanoarchitecture of multilayered LiV3O8 nanoparticle/graphene nanosheet (M-nLVO/GN) hybrid electrodes for potential use in high performance lithium ion batteries by using a porous Ni foam as a substrate. The prepared sandwich nanoarchitecture of M-nLVO/GN hybrid electrodes exhibited high performance as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, such as high reversible specific capacity (235 mA h g(-1) at a current density of 0.3 A g(-1)), high coulombic efficiency (over 98%), fast rate capability (up to a current density of 10 A g(-1)), and superior capacity retention during cycling (90% capacity retention with a current density of 0.3 A g(-1) after 300 cycles). Very significantly, this novel insight into the design and synthesis of sandwich nanoarchitecture would extend their application to various electrochemical energy storage devices, such as fuel cells and supercapacitors.