Facile synthesis and electrochemical properties of amorphous FeVO4 as cathode materials for lithium secondary batteries

The electrochemical properties of FeVO4 are affected by morphology, particle size and structure of the materials. In this paper, the amorphous and crystalline FeVO4 nanoparticles have been synthesized by the liquid precipitation method. The amorphous FeVO4 shows the initial specific capacity of 215 mAh/g, with the initial capacity loss of 22% at the current density of 50 mA g(-1), in the range of 2.0-4.0 V after 40 cycles. Compared with crystalline materials, the amorphous one shows lower charge transfer resistance, higher rate capability, and better capacity retention. These improvements are mainly attributed to shorter lithium ion diffusion length and high electronic conductivity along the surface of small amorphous particles. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.