Low temperature synthesis and electrochemical behavior of LiV₃O₈ cathode

LiV₃O₈ cathode has been synthesized by two simple low temperature methods without involving the melting of V₂O₅ and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), discharge-charge measurements in lithium cells and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). While the first method involves the heating of the components in H₂ at 500 °C followed by in N₂ at 600 °C, the second method involves the dispersion of the components in methanol followed by evaporating the solvent and heating at 500 °C in N₂ atmosphere. The samples exhibit a high capacity of around 230 mAh g^-1 at 0.5 mA cm^-2 and 25 °C in a narrow voltage range of 2-3.5 V with excellent cyclability at -30 to 60 °C. Additionally, the samples exhibit superior safety characteristics compared to the currently used LiCoO₂ cathode as indicated by the absence of exothermic peaks (DSC) up to 450 °C in the charged state.