Better lithium-ion storage materials made through hierarchical assemblies of active nanorods and nanocrystals†
Abstract
Lithium-ion storage materials with significantly improved performance were developed through the hierarchical assemblies of vanadium-based oxide (V2O5 and LiV3O8) nanorods or iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanocrystals using an efficient, continuous aerosol-spray process. Such hierarchically porous spheres, which were made from networks of low-dimension building blocks, result in materials with reduced ion-diffusion length, fast electrolyte diffusion, and structural robustness. Due to their unique hierarchical structure, these spheres exhibit high lithium storage capacity, excellent cycling stability and good rate capability. This work presents a novel synthesis approach toward better lithium-ion storage materials.