A simple method to prepare NH4V3O8 nanorods as cathode material for Li-ion batteries

•A pure NH4V3O8 phase was synthesized by a facile water-bath method.•NH4V3O8 nanorods with a diameter of 30–50 nm were obtained.•The NH4V3O8 electrode had a high discharge capacity and good cycling stability.

NH4V3O8 nanorods have been synthesized by a facile water-bath method without template or surfactant. The as-obtained powder was characterized by XRD, indicating that this material was pure NH4V3O8. The electrochemical performance of NH4V3O8 as cathode material was investigated, which demonstrated that as-prepared NH4V3O8 electrode had a good lithium ion insertion/extraction ability with a specific discharge capacity of 238 mAh g−1 at 15 mA g−1. Moreover, it still maintained a high discharge capacity of 217 mAh g−1 after 30 cycles, suggesting its promising application as the cathode material for Li-ion batteries.