LiVPO4F/C cathode synthesized by a fast chemical reduction method for lithium-ion batteries

• LiVPO4F/C cathode was synthesized by a fast chemical reduction method.
• Low toxicity NH4VO3 was reduced by oxalic acid at 60 °C in short time.
• Polyvinylidene fluoride was used as carbon source with ultrasonic dispersion.
• The binding energy peaks corroborate that V in NH4VO3 was effective reduced.
• LiVPO4F/C cathode prepared possesses excellent performances.

LiVPO4F/C cathode has been successfully synthesized by a fast chemical reduction method using polyvinylidene fluoride as carbon source. NH4VO3 is reduced by oxalic acid at 60 °C in short time. The green color and binding energy peaks around 517.1 eV and 524.7 eV in dried precursors corroborate that element V in NH4VO3 is reduced to +3 valence. The crystallite of LiVPO4F/C is well developed. Nanometer granules with smooth edge aggregate and form micron size LiVPO4F/C particles. The molar ratio of V:P:F in cathode is 1:0.99:1.02, which is close to stoichiometric. The discharge capacities of LiVPO4F/C at 0.2 C, 1 C and 2 C are 140.9 mA h g−1, 127.4 mA h g−1 and 122.9 mA h g−1. It is concluded that the fast chemical reduction in this paper can be used to prepare LiVPO4F/C cathode with stable crystallite structure and excellent performances.