Electrochemical properties of pre-lithiated nanorod-like LixV6O13 lithium ion battery cathode materials prepared by solvothermal method

Vanadium oxides have been proved to be prospective nanoscale electrode materials which are being extensively explored in electrochemical. However, low cycle stability and multiplier performance have limited the commercial application of materials. To overcome this disadvantage, a rod-like LixV6O13 was synthesized by solvothermal method using LiNO3, V2Os, C2H5OH (Ethanol absolute) as raw materials. The diameter of rod-shaped LixV6O13 was between 200 and 500 nm and presented excellent dispersibility. The results indicated that proper pre-lithiation improved the specific capacity and rate performance of V6O13. When x = 0.055 (VO-Li2), the rodlike LixV6O13 exhibited a capacity retention of 69.1% after 100 cycles at 0.1 C (42 mA/g) and a discharge capacity of 98.5 mAh/g after 100 cycles at 1 C, comparing to those of the pure V6O13 of only 39.5% and 39.7 mAh/g respectively. The results of SEM and CV tests demonstrated that the improved electrochemical properties were mainly attributed to the increase of material specific surface area and the change of internal structure caused by lithium insertion, which promoted the kinetics of the chemical reaction and the electrochemical performance of LixV6O13. The applicability of the method was further examined through the disassembly of the battery after the cycle, providing the possibility of commercialization of V6O13 lithium ion battery cathode materials.