Vanadium Oxide-Carbon Nanotube Composite Electrodes for Use in Secondary Lithium Batteries

Single-wall carbon nanotubes were used to form the electronically conducting network in lithium intercalation electrodes that incorporated vanadium oxide aerogels as the active material. Sol-gel methods were developed which integrated the nanotubes with V2O5 aerogel synthesis. The similarities in morphology and dimensional scale for the nanotubes and V2O5 ribbons enabled excellent electrical contact to be made between the two phases without seriously affecting the aerogel nanostructure. Intimate contact was established between the two phases at the nanodimensional level while the high pore volume of the aerogel provided electrolyte access throughout the composite material. The electrodes exhibited specific capacities in excess of 400 mAh/g at high discharge rates and retained this level of capacity on cycling.