Carbon coated Li3VO4 microsphere: Ultrafast solvothermal synthesis and excellent performance as lithium-ion battery anode

Li 3 VO 4 is a promising anode material for next-generation lithium ion batteries . However, inferior electronic conductivity and cumbersomely preparing route limit its further development. Herein, we prepared Li 3 VO 4 microspheres with average diameter of 1.8 μm by solvothermal route in only 10 min. When used as anode material for the lithium ion battery, the uniform microspheres of Li 3 VO 4 delivered a discharge capacity of 233 mA h g −1 after 1000 cycles at 4 A g −1 . Even at a high rate of 10 A g −1 , a discharge capacity of 152 mA h g −1 was achieved. Detail microstructure and electrochemical characterization demonstrates that the excellent performance of as-prepared anode originates from the uniform microsphere morphology and the presence of ~2 nm carbon substance on the surface of microsphere. More importantly, when Li 3 VO 4 microsphere anode packages into full cell with commercial LiFePO 4 , three cells in series steadily light three red LEDs, implying an outstanding potential of Li 3 VO 4 microsphere anode for practical application in lithium ion battery.