Enhanced Stability of Vanadium-Based Electrode Materials Using Multi-Component Hybrids for High-Performance Zinc-Ion Batteries

Abstract

The limited availability of cathode materials for rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs), which have great potential for grid-scale energy storage applications, remains a significant obstacle to development. In this study, we proposed a Li₃VO₄–LiV₂O₅-based (LiVO-w) nanocomposite structure obtained by simple high-temperature calcination and water washing as a high-performance cathode. The LiVO-w cathode demonstrates a high specific capacity (310.43 mAh g^–1 at 1 A g^–1 and 130.52 mAh g^–1 at 20 A g^–1) and excellent cycling stability (100% capacity retention after 4000 cycles at 10 A g^–1 and 85.13% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles). In addition, ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows the structural transformation of LiVO-w during the self-assembly process. During the first charge process, the multivalent and multistructured LiVO-w undergoes an increase in the valence of V, accompanied by the generation of Zn₃(OH)₂V₂O₇·H₂O on the surface of the matrix. The charge and discharge process after self-assembly mainly corresponds to the generation and decomposition of Zn₃(OH)₂V₂O₇·H₂O. This excellent self-assembled matrix realizes the realization of LiVO-w cathodes with high capacity and high-capacity retention, representing a major advancement in the commercial development of ZIBs for the development of LiVO-w positive electrode materials.