The Study of Carbon-Coated V[sub 2]O[sub 5] Nanoparticles as a Potential Cathodic Material for Li Rechargeable Batteries

Carbon-coated nanoparticles are good candidates as cathodic materials for rechargeable Li batteries. These nanoparticles were prepared by burning off carbon-coated nanoparticles in air (around ). The nanoparticles were prepared by a simple, single-stage reaction under autogenic pressure. Variations in the conditions of the burning process determine the properties of the carbon coating (e.g., thickness, weight % of carbon). Several types of electrodes were investigated. These included composite electrodes comprising different batches of , additional carbon particles and PVdF binder, composite electrodes comprising micrometric size, commercial as the active mass, and electrodes in which the or micronic size particles were embedded in aluminum foils without using any carbon additive or binder. The electrochemical response in terms of capacity, cyclability, and rates (up to 5C) at different potential ranges (narrow and wide domains, vs ) was investigated in and in ethylene carbonate/dimethyl carbonate solutions by standard electrochemical techniques, including chronopotentiometry, cyclic voltammetry, and impedance spectroscopy. The behavior of the electrodes (nanoparticles) was compared to that of electrodes comprising micronic size particles. In general, electrodes demonstrated a higher capacity, much better rate capability, and very good stability upon cycling and aging at elevated temperatures compared to electrodes comprising microparticles of . In situ and ex situ atomic force microscopy imaging was used for the morphological analysis of these electrodes.