Sol–gel synthesis and electrochemical properties of CuV2O6 cathode material

Abstract The CuV 2 O 6 cathode material was successfully synthesized using the NH 4 VO 3 and the alkaline copper carbonate (CuCO 3 ·Cu(OH) 2 · x H 2 O, malachite) as the starting reagents by a citrate sol–gel route. The structures and electrochemical properties of CuV 2 O 6 synthesized at different temperature were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry/differential thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical measurements. The results showed that the sample prepared at 550 °C had small particle size, and thus revealed higher initial discharge capacity (403 mAh g −1 ) and better cycle performance than that prepared by the conventional solid-state method.