Super-lattices enabled performances of vanadate-phosphate glass-ceramic composite cathode in lithium-ion batteries

Among all the cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), V2O5 has gained a lot of attention due to its high theoretical specific capacity (∼440 mAh g−1). However, only some of the lithium-ions can be reversibly extracted after inserting into V2O5 cells, making the actual reversible capacity of the crystalline V2O5 cathode material much lower than its theoretical specific capacity. In this work, we prepared Li2O–V2O5–P2O5 ternary glass by melt-quenching method. Subsequently, we grew nano-sized crystals and super-lattice structures in the glass matrix by precise heat treatment. Systematic structural, electrochemical tests and first-principles computations have shown that a reasonable amount of super-lattice structure can significantly enhance the electronic and ionic conductivity of glass matrix materials. Benefiting from this, the LVP-70-2 composite cathode exhibited excellent lithium storage performance with a stable reversible capacity of nearly ∼280 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1 and an outstanding cycling performance of a remaining capacity of 90 mAh g−1 at 1600 mA g−1 after 200 cycles.