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.