Preparation and sodium ions storage performance of vanadium pentoxide/titanium dioxide composite

Vanadium pentoxide as the cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) has attracted wide attention due to its high theoretical capacity, relatively low price, and easy preparation. However, the poor structural stability and bad electronic conductivity severely hamper its practical application. Herein, vanadium pentoxide/titanium dioxide (V2O5/TiO2) composite was prepared by a hydrothermal method with commercial vanadium pentoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and titanium dioxide as raw materials. Compared to pureV2O5, the V2O5/TiO2 composite exhibits higher sodium storage activity and better rate capability (with specific capacities of 141.7 and 31.6 mA h g−1 at 100 and 1000 mA g−1, respectively). SEM characterization shows that the V2O5 material changed from nanosheet morphology to nanorod morphology after compositing with TiO2. Cyclic voltammetry analysis reveals that the V2O5/TiO2 composite has obvious pseudocapacitive behavior during the discharge/charge processes. EIS analysis demonstrates that the introduction of TiO2 in V2O5 decreases the electrochemical reaction resistance upon repeated cycling. This work provides a simple and efficient method for the preparation of vanadium-based cathode material for SIBs.