Nanocomposite Li3V2(PO4)3/carbon as a cathode material with high rate performance and long-term cycling stability in lithium-ion batteries

In the present work, nanocomposite Li3V2(PO4)3/carbon is successfully synthesized by combining a sol–gel method and a nanocasting route, and then it is characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), N2 adsorption–desorption, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, this nanocomposite is used as a cathode material for Li-ion intercalation and exhibits large reversible capacity, high rate performance and excellent long-term cycling stability. For instance, a large reversible capacity of 95 mA h g−1 and an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.1% can be maintained even after 3000 cycles at a high rate of 20C in the potential range of 3.0–4.3 V. Moreover, the Li3V2(PO4)3/C nanocomposite delivered a large capacity of 127 mA h g−1 at a high rate of 10C in the voltage range of 3.0–4.8 V. The super results might be attributed to the unique hierarchical architecture of the Li3V2(PO4)3/carbon nanocomposite.