Electrical properties vs. microstructure of nanocrystallized V2O5-P2O5 glasses - An extended temperature range study

An electronically conducting nanomaterial was synthesized by nanocrystallization of a 90V2O5·10P2O5 glass and its electrical properties were studied in an extended temperature range from − 170 to + 400 °C. The conductivity of the prepared nanomaterial reaches 2 ∙ 10− 1 S cm− 1 at 400 °C and 2 ∙ 10− 3 S cm− 1 at room temperature. It is higher than that of the original glass by a factor of 25 at room temperature and more than 100 below − 80 °C. A key role in the conductivity enhancement was ascribed to the material's microstructure, and in particular to the presence of the large number of small (ca. 20 nm) grains of crystalline V2O5. The observed conductivity dependencies are discussed in terms of the Mott's theory of the electronic hopping transport in disordered systems. Since V2O5 is known for its ability to intercalate lithium, the presented results might be helpful in the development of cathode materials for Li-ion batteries.