Synthesis and characterization of Cr8O21 as cathode material for rechargeable lithium batteries

Pure phase Cr8O21 with excellent electrochemical properties has been synthesized by sintering anhydrous chromium trioxide (CrO3) at low temperature in flowing oxygen. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterizations indicate that the inner tetra-chromate groups of Cr8O21 are damaged and Cr8O21 is changed to another layer-structured material when lithium is inserted into the host.