Capacity-enhanced and kinetic-expedited zinc-ion storage ability in a Zn3V3O8/VO2 cathode enabled by heterostructural design

Heterostructured double-phase composites are promising electrode candidates for high-performance secondary metal batteries due to their superior capacity and ion transfer kinetics compared with the pristine phase. Herein, a Zn3V3O8/VO2 (ZVO/VO) heterostructure with abundant phase boundaries was designed as the cathode for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). The preparation method is based on a solid pre-intercalation approach, and the Zn content in the ZVO/VO heterostructure can be precisely controlled. The electrochemical performance of ZVO/VO containing different amounts of Zn, pristine ZVO, and VO phases was compared. ZVO/VO showed superior capacity and cycling stability compared to pristine ZVO and VO. The ZVO/VO heterostructure showed a capacity of 328.4 mA h g-1 at 0.3 A g-1 after 200 cycles. The long-term cycling performance of ZVO/VO was evaluated at 3 A g-1, and it delivered a capacity retention of 90.5% after 1000 cycles. The ion storage mechanism of the ZVO/VO electrode was analyzed by ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This work provides a simple strategy for designing vanadium-based heterostructure composites as advanced cathodes for ZIBs.