Facile synthesis of ultralong NH4V3O8 nanobelts cathode material for lithium ion battery

•NH4V3O8 ultralong nanobelts are synthesized by a microwave hydrothermal route.•The NH4V3O8 nanobelts grows along [0 0 1] direction.•The nanobelts are tens of micrometers in length, 40–60 nm in width.•The nanobelts show a high discharge capacity of 337 mAh g−1 at 15 mA g−1.•The nanobelts exhibit good capacity retention (98%) and rate capability.

A facile microwave hydrothermal route is employed to synthesized NH4V3O8 ultralong nanobelts without any surfactant. The prepared NH4V3O8 nanobelts have an average width of 40–60 nm and a length of tens of micrometers growing along [0 0 1] direction. When used as cathode material for lithium ion battery, the NH4V3O8 nanobelts show high discharge capacity (337 mAh g−1 at 15 mA g−1), nice cycling stability (98% after 100 cycles) and good rate capability (279, 248, 220, and 192 mAh g−1 at 60, 120, 240 and 300 mA g−1, respectively). The good electrochemical property of the NH4V3O8 is attributed to its unique ultralong nanobelt structure with good structural stability.

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