Manganese vanadium sulfate-oxide cylindrical core-shell heterostructures by electro-spray deposition on graphite foil for Li+ ion intercalation

Abstract Heterostructure based on metal sulfides and oxides nanomaterials can be relevant to the charge storage devices. Here, we show that Mn(CH3COO)2.4H2O and VOSO4.xH2O can react in ethanol/water droplets generated by an electric field assisted spray system, so that MnSx-VSx/MnzV2O5 heterostructures in the shape of nanometric cylindrical particles can be deposited on a graphite foil substrate. The composite material phases were detected by several microscopies and microscopic probes spectroscopies, i.e., micro-Raman and scanning X-ray photoemission microscopy. The nanometric cylindrical particles were relatively homogenously distributed throughout the film covering the graphite foil. Film thickness modulation on surface was calculated between 100 and 300 nm range. We show that the segregation of MnV-O and MnV-S relative abundance in the internal and external volume of the cylinderical nanoparticles respectively, can be exploited during faradaic and non-faradaic processes in charge/discharge.