Hydrazine hydrate-mediated morphology tuning of V2O5: From aggregated and rod-like to dispersed nanoparticles for enhanced lithium storage performance

Abstract

The development of high-performance vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) cathodes is often constrained by the intricate synthesis of desirable nanostructures and an insufficient understanding of the synergistic impact of morphology and dispersion on electrochemical properties. Herein, we report a facile solvothermal strategy for the controlled synthesis of V2O5 nanostructures, where the volume of hydrazine hydrate serves as the sole governing parameter for morphology evolution. By simply varying the hydrazine hydrate content, we successfully achieved the transformation from aggregated nanoparticles to dispersed nanorods and, optimally, to dispersed nanoparticles. When evaluated as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the dispersed nanoparticles demonstrated superior electrochemical performance. They delivered high specific capacities of 254 and 130 mA h g−1 at 0.2 C and 5 C, respectively, and exhibited excellent cyclability with 75% capacity retention after 100 cycles at 1 C. This enhanced electrochemical performance is attributed to the synergistic advantages of their dispersed morphology and nanoscale dimensions. This work provides profound insight into the structure-property relationship of V2O5 and offers a paradigm for the rational design of electrode materials for advanced energy storage systems.