Li3VO4/carbon sheets composites from cellulose as an anode material for high performance lithium-ion batteries

Abstract Novel Li3VO4/carbon sheets (LVO/CS) composites from cellulose were first prepared by simple freeze-drying and hydrothermal methods as a high-performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), realizing the combination of biomass carbon materials and Li3VO4. Elemental composition and microstructures of the LVO/CS composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and so on. Meanwhile, electrochemical performances were investigated by battery testing system and electrochemical workstation. Furthermore, the impact of the mass ratio of LVO and CS on battery performances was researched, and it was found that the LVO/CS-2.0 (mass ration of LVO:CS was 24:1) composites exhibited excellent performances. The specific capacity of LVO/CS-2.0 reached up to 716 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at low current density 0.1 A g-1, which was better than those of LVO matrix materials such as LVO/carbon nanotubes, LVO/carbon nanofibers and LVO/N-doped graphene. Considering its advantages, our proposed technique can be used to fabricate other composites based on carbon materials from cellulose for LIBs.