Robust method for uniform coating of carbon nanotubes with V2O5 for next-generation transparent electrodes and Li-ion batteries

Abstract

Composites comprising vanadium-pentoxide (V₂O₅) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are promising components for emerging applications in optoelectronics, solar cells, chemical and electrochemical sensors, etc. We propose a novel, simple, and facile approach for SWCNT covering with V₂O₅ by spin coating under ambient conditions. With the hydrolysis-polycondensation of the precursor (vanadyl triisopropoxide) directly on the surface of SWCNTs, the nm-thick layer of oxide is amorphous with a work function of 4.8 eV. The material recrystallizes after thermal treatment at 600 °C, achieving the work function of 5.8 eV. The key advantages of the method are that the obtained coating is uniform with a tunable thickness and does not require vacuuming or heating during processing. We demonstrate the groundbreaking results for two V₂O₅/SWCNT applications: transparent electrode and cathode for Li-ion batteries. As a transparent electrode, the composite shows stable sheet resistance of 160 Ω sq⁻¹ at a 90% transmittance (550 nm) – the best performance reported for SWCNTs doped by metal oxides. As a cathode material, the obtained specific capacity (330 mA h g⁻¹) is the highest among all the other V₂O₅/SWCNT cathodes reported so far. This approach opens new horizons for the creation of the next generation of metal oxide composites for various applications, including optoelectronics and electrochemistry.