Hollow α-LiVOPO4 sphere cathodes for high energy Li-ion battery application

Hollow spheres of electroactive α-LiVOPO4 were synthesized via a simple one step solvothermal method. A powder X-ray diffraction study revealed that the obtained product crystallized in the triclinic α-LiVOPO4 phase. The morphology of the product was largely influenced by reaction conditions such as reaction time, temperature, etc., and the product morphology was easily fine tuned from hollow spheres to hard spheres upon changing the reaction time. Without any post-heat treatment or milling with conductive additives, these hollow spheres exhibited comparatively large reversible Li storage of 130 and 61 mA h g−1 at 0.1 and 1.7 C respectively. Excellent capacity retention and long term cycling stability were demonstrated by the hollow spheres of α-LiVOPO4. We believe that α-LiVOPO4 is likely to be a prospective cathode material for high-voltage Li ion batteries application.