Solution combustion synthesis of crystalline V ₂ O ₃ and amorphous V ₂ O ₃ /C as anode for lithium‐ion battery

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, crystalline V 2 O 3 and amorphous V 2 O 3 /C products are synthesized via one‐pot solution combustion synthesis (SCS) method (completed within 2 minutes). The characteristics of combustion products could be tuned by changing the amounts of glucose. The as‐synthesized crystalline V 2 O 3 nanopowder consists of nanoparticles with average size of ~100 nm. Amorphous V 2 O 3 /C composite exhibits large porous microsheet structure in which oxygen vacancy‐enabled amorphous V 2 O 3 particles are embedded into N‐doped carbon microsheets. The existence of oxygen vacancies can promote energetics for the transport of electrons and ions and maintain the integrity of sample surface morphology. Moreover, N‐doping can enhance electrical conductivity and promote the diffusion of electrons and lithium ions. Amorphous V 2 O 3 /C composite possesses high reversible capacity and superior cycling stability (833 mAh g −1 at 1 A g −1 after 250 cycles, 867 mAh g −1 at 0.1 A g −1 after 100 cycles), indicating its potential as excellent anode material for lithium‐ion battery. The proposed one‐step, time‐ and energy‐efficient SCS method has the potential to prepare other oxygen vacancy‐enabled transition metal oxides for energy storage.