Construction of hierarchical Li3VO4/NC sponge structure for high-performance lithium storage

The practical application of Li3VO4 anodes for lithium-ion batteries has long been hindered by the intrinsically poor electronic conductivity and fabrication of stable electrodes. Herein, we design a hierarchical Li3VO4/NC sponge structure (H-LVO/NC SS) for achieving the adhesion of ultrasmall LVO nanoparticles on the N-doped carbon sponge. The structure effectively shortens the charge transport path, increases the effective contact between electrolyte and host material, and promotes reaction kinetics. Based on the structural advantages, the HLVO/NC SS anode exhibits outstanding lithium storage performance in terms of high reversible specific capacity (710 mAh g-1 at 0.2 A g-1), excellent high-rate property (303 mAh g-1 at 8 A g-1 after 7 periodic rate performance) and superior cycling stability (266 mAh g-1 at the discharge current of 8 A g-1 after 4000 cycles). The pronouncedly improved electrochemical performance of H-LVO/NC SS demonstrates that this structure design strategy could provide a new reference for the new-generation electrode structures and provide in-depth insights for the structural design of other batteries.

Automated summary

By designing a hierarchical Li3VO4/NC sponge structure, ultrasmall LVO nanoparticles were adhered to N-doped carbon sponge, resulting in a shortened charge transport path, increased effective contact between electrolyte and host material, and improved reaction kinetics. The HLVO/NC SS anode exhibited outstanding lithium storage performance, with high reversible specific capacity (710 mAh g-1 at 0.2 A g-1), excellent high-rate property (303 mAh g-1 at 8 A g-1 after 7 periodic rate performance), and superior cycling stability (266 mAh g-1 at the discharge current of 8 A g-1 after 4000 cycles). The improved electrochemical performance of H-LVO/NC SS suggests that this structure design strategy could be applied to new-generation electrode structures and provide insights for the design of other batteries.