Facile synthesis of Nb2O5 nanobelts assembled from nanorods and their applications in lithium ion batteries

Hierarchical 1D N2O5 nanobelts are successfully synthesized via a facile solvothermal method and following thermal treatment. The as-formed N2O5 nanobelts are characterized by XRD, FESEM, TEM, and BET, and the results indicate that they possess pseudohexagonal structure and are composed of ultranarrow nanorods with an average diameter of ca. 15 mu. When used as anodic materials for lithium ion batteries, the obtained N2O5 nanobelts can deliver initial discharge capacities of 209.3 mAh g(-1) at the current density of 0.5 C. In addition, the N2O5 nanobelts exhibit a reversible capacity of 95.8 mAh g(-1) after 200 cycles at relatively high current density of 5 C. The good electrochemical performance of the Nb2O5 nanobelts may be ascribed to their good monodispersity, high specific surface areas, and narrow rod-like building blocks. The Nb2O5 nanobelts can be developed as promising anodes for high-rate 2 V LIBs with good safety.