Scalable and template-free synthesis of nanostructured Na1.08V6O15 as high-performance cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

•Nanostructured Na1.08V6O15 was synthesized through additive-free sol-gel process.•Prepared Na1.08V6O15 demonstrated high capacity and sufficient cycling stability.•The reaction temperature was optimized to allow scalable Na1.08V6O15 fabrication.

Developing high-capacity cathode material with feasibility and scalability is still challenging for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this study, a high-capacity ternary sodium vanadate compound, nanostructured NaV6O15, was template-free synthesized through sol-gel process with high producing efficiency. The as-prepared sample was systematically post-treated at different temperature and the post-annealing temperature was found to determine the cycling stability and capacity of NaV6O15. The well-crystallized one exhibited good electrochemical performance with a high specific capacity of 302 mAh g−1 when cycled at current density of 0.03 mA g−1. Its relatively long-term cycling stability was characterized by the cell performance under the current density of 1 A g−1, delivering a reversible capacity of 118 mAh g−1 after 300 cycles with 79% capacity retention and nearly 100% coulombic efficiency: all demonstrating its significant promise of proposed strategy for large-scale synthesis of NaV6O15 as cathode with high-capacity and high energy density for LIBs.

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