Three-Dimensional Porous Hierarchically Architectured\nLi₃VO₄ Anode Materials for High-Performance\nLithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

In\nthis work, a binder-free, self-supported, three-dimensional (3D),\nporous Li₃VO₄ (LVO) and the carbon-coated Li₃VO₄(LVO@C) anode materials are prepared on a Ni-foam\ndisc by the electrostatic spray deposition technique. The deposited\nmaterials exhibit a unique morphology with sponge-like 3D porous hierarchical\narchitecture. The novel structure can significantly enhance the surface\narea of the materials, relax the stress/strain of Li⁺ insertion/deinsertion,\nand obviously shorten the diffusion path of lithium ions in the charger/discharge\nprocess. The porous nickel-foam substrate can also provide an electric\ntransport network and structural support to the electrode, resulting\nin very excellent rating and cycling performance. In addition, the\ncoated carbon network can further facilitate the electric transport\nof the material. As a result, both electrodes show outstanding electrochemical\nproperties, especially the LVO@C electrode. The discharge capacities\nof LVO@C are 508.8, 424.1, 405, 377.5, and 340.1 mA h g^–1 at 0.5, 5, 10, 20, and 30 C, respectively, and the capacity can\npersist at 399 mA h g^–1 without any capacity fading\neven after 1000 cycles at the current density of 10 C. The excellent\nproperties make these LVO-based materials, especially the carbon-coated\nLVO composite, a promising anode candidate for the low-cost and high-performance\nLIBs.