Electrochemical storage incorporating size- and morphology-controlled metastable vanadium pentoxide as a cathode material for ion batteries
The Li-ion paradigm of battery technology is fundamentally constrained by the monovalency of the Li-ion. A straightforward solution is to transition to multivalent ion chemistries, with Mg 2+ the most obvious candidate due to considerations of size and mass. Despite early interest, the realization of Mg batteries has faced myriad obstacles, including a sparse selection of cathode materials demonstrating the ability to reversibly insert divalent ions. Disclosed herein is evidence of reversible topochemical and electrochemical insertion of Mg 2+ into a metastable one-dimensional polymorph of V 2 O 5 . Not only does ζ-V 2 O 5 represent a rare addition to the pantheon of functional Mg battery cathode materials, but is also distinctive in exhibiting a combination of high stability, high specific capacity due to ion insertion, and moderately high operating voltage.
1. A rechargeable battery comprising an electrode comprising metastable ζ-V 2 O 5 nanowires, a conductive agent and a polymeric binder coated onto a current collector, said ζ-V 2 O 5 nanowires exhibiting no evidence of AgCl when analyzed by powder x-ray diffraction.
2. The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , wherein the rechargeable battery is a Mg-ion battery or Mg battery.
3. The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , further comprising an anode material selected from the group consisting of activated carbon cloth, graphite, Mg metal, a Mg alloy containing Mg, and an intermetallic compound containing Mg.
4. The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , said rechargeable battery further comprising one or more ions intercalated into the interstices of said ζ-V 2 O 5 nanowires.
5. The rechargeable battery of claim 4 , wherein said one or more ions are selected from the group consisting of Li + ions, Na + ions, Al 3+ ions, Y 3+ ions, Ca 2+ ions, Mg 2+ ions, Zn 2+ ions, and combinations thereof.
6. The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , said ζ-V 2 O 5 nanowires having a smallest dimension of about 50 nm to about 1000 nm.
7. The rechargeable battery of claim 1 , wherein ion diffusion occurs radially within said ζ-V 2 O 5 nanowires.