Vanadium oxide nanocomposite as electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries with high specific discharge capacity and long cycling life

In this work, a facile and low-cost method is used to elaborate V2O5/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The structure, composition, and morphology of the hydrothermal V2O5/rGO composite powders are characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, and TEM while their electrochemical performance was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and charge/discharge studies. The V2O5/rGO cathode exhibits improved electrochemical performance in terms of specific capacitance, reversibility, and stability compared to single-component V2O5. Electrochemical characterization reveals that the new composite cathode combined the homemade V2O5 powders and graphene demonstrated high specific discharge capacity of 280 mAh g(-1) at 50 mA g(-1) and good stability upon 1000 cycles. Higher electrochemical capacity and stability of the new composite cathode are mainly ascribed to a cooperative effect between the reduced graphene with good electrical conductivity and the unique nano-sized V2O5 spheres with short diffusion pathways for lithium-ion diffusion.

Automated summary

In this study, V2O5/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites were prepared as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries using a facile and low-cost method. The composite cathode exhibited improved electrochemical performance, including higher specific capacitance, reversibility, and stability. This can be attributed to the cooperative effect between the good electrical conductivity of reduced graphene oxide and the unique nano-sized V2O5 spheres with short diffusion pathways.