Hierarchical porous LiVO3/N-doped carbon hollow microspheres as a high-performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

LiVO3 has been considered as a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity. However, the rate capability and cycling stability of LiVO3 are limited by its poor electronic conductivity and low ion diffusion efficiency. In this work, hierarchical porous LiVO3/N-doped carbon hollow microspheres (LiVO3/NC HSs) are designed and synthesized via a simple spray drying method. As an anode material for LIBs, LiVO3/NC HSs show high reversible capacity (557.6 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1) and excellent rate capability (411.5 mAh g−1 at 2.0 A g−1). Even at a high current density of 10.0 A g−1, a capacity retention of 77.0 % can be achieved over 4000 cycles. Such outstanding performance can be attributed to the unique structure, in which LiVO3 particles are in-situ encapsulated in the N-doped carbon network to enhance the electronic conductivity, and the porous and hollow structure enable rapid ion transport and accommodate large volume changes. This work provides novel insights into the design of vanadium-based materials for LIBs.