Solvothermal preparation of Al/Fe-doped V6O13 as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries with enhanced electrochemical performance

Al/Fe-doped V6O13 is synthesized via a solvothermal method using V2O5, C2H5OH, Al(NO3)3·9H2O and Fe(NO3)3·9H2O as raw materials. Results of XRD show that different Al/Fe-doped amounts of V6O13 are successfully synthesized. Figures of SEM reveal different morphologies of Al/Fe-doped V6O13. Charge- discharge results indicate that the suitable Al/Fe-doping can improve the electrochemical performance of the material. When the mole ratio of Al/Fe is 5.33/4.95, the average width of the sample is 200 nm and the average length is 4.8 μm. This morphology can shorten the transport path of lithium ions. Meanwhile, the initial discharge specific capacity of the sample is 426.9 mAh/g, which increases by 52% compared to pure phase. The suitable Al/Fe-doping is also conducive to reducing the charge transfer resistance and increasing the diffusion rate of lithium ions. The current research results show that Al/Fe-doped V6O13 has potential application value in cathode material of lithium-ion batteries.