Enhanced composites of V2O5 nanowires decorating on graphene layers as ideal cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Enhanced composites of V2O5/Graphene with delicate structure were successfully designed and synthesized via a smart route. SEM, TEM, XRD, Raman spectra and XPS survey revealed the morphology and structure of V2O5/Graphene composites. The BET surface area and total BJH pore volume of V2O5/Graphene composites were much higher than these of bare V2O5 nanowires. Compared with bare V2O5 nanowires, the V2O5/Graphene composites exhibited improved electrochemical performance. It revealed a discharge capacity of 190.9 mA g(-)1 in the third cycle and capacity retention of 96.6% after 150 cycles, whereas the bare V2O5 nanowires were 141.8 mA g(-1) and 76.5%, respectively. It was noteworthy that the strategy of position-fixing V2O5 nanowires on graphene sheets played a crucial role in the formation of the stable structure of composites. The achieved V2O5/Graphene composites effectively increased the electrical conductivity and electroactive sites, buffered the volume change and provided large contact area during the charge/discharge process. The proposed approach here to obtain composite in this work would render an effective way to improve the electrochemical performance of metal oxide for LIBs. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.