Facile and elegant self-organization of Ag nanoparticles and TiO2 nanorods on V2O5 nanosheets as a superior cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

To address the deficiencies of poor electronic conductivity and strong tendency towards aggregation suffered by V2O5 nanosheets, here we propose a facile and elegant self-organization strategy to decorate them simultaneously with Ag nanoparticles and TiO2 nanorods, resulting in novel two-dimensional hybrid architectures. The addition of TiO2 is able to enhance the Li+ intercalation rate and capacity of V2O5, while the introduction of Ag is capable of allowing for efficient electron transport from the current collector to the electrode. Moreover, the two dopants can effectively isolate the V2O5 nanosheets from restacking, thereby preserving the electroactive surface areas from being sacrificed. The resulting two-dimensional hybrid architectures exhibit synergistic superiorities in reversible capacity, rate capability and cycle stability over neat V2O5 nanosheets, and hold great promise as a cathode material of lithium-ion batteries.