Preparation and characterization of (PVP + V2O5) cathode for battery applications

The cathode films of V2O5 xerogel modified with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) were prepared using sol-gel method. Investigations were conducted by X-ray diffractometry, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the H atoms in PVP are hydrogen-bonded with the O atoms of the VO bonds of the V2O5 xerogel, which effectively shielded against electrostatic interactions between the V2O5 interlayer and Li+ ions when the V2O5 xerogel is modified by the intercalation of PVP. The reversibility of insertion/extraction of Li+ ions is greatly improved by modification of the V2O5 xerogel with PVP.