Hydrothermal synthesis of Cu3(OH)2V2O7·nH2O nanoparticles and its application in lithium ion battery

Well crystallized copper vanadium oxide hydroxide hydrate (Cu3(OH)2V2O7·nH2O) nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The morphology and structure of the as-synthesized products were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. The composition of Cu3(OH)2V2O7·nH2O was studied by thermal analysis (TG, DTA), which indicates that there are two molecules of water in a Cu3(OH)2V2O7·nH2O molecular formula. Electrochemical properties of Cu3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O nanoparticles as positive electrode of lithium ion battery were studied by conventional charge/discharge tests at different current density, showing steady initial discharge platforms near 1.7 V. The first discharge capacity of Cu3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O electrode arrives at 868 and 845 mAh g−1 at current density of 0.01 and 0.02 mA cm−2, respectively.