Insights into Synergistic Effect of Acid on Morphological Control of Vanadium Oxide: Toward High Lithium Storage

Morphological control is a fundamental challenge of nanomaterial development. Commonly, hierarchical nanostructures cannot be induced by a single driving force, but obtained through balancing multiple driving forces. Here, a feasible strategy is reported based on the synergistic effect of proton and acid anion, leading to the morphological variation of vanadium oxide from nanowire, bundle, to hierarchical nanoflower (HNF). Protons can only induce the formation of nanowire through reducing the pH value ≤ 2. However, acid anions with strong coordination ability, e.g., phosphate radicals, can also participate in morphological regulation at high concentration. Through coordinating with exposed vanadium ions, the enrichment of phosphate radicals at ledge and kink changes the growth directions, giving rise to the advanced structures of bundle and HNF. The lithium ion batteries using HNF as a cathode achieve a 30% improved initial discharge specific capacity of 436.23 mAh g(−1) at a current density of 0.1 A g(−1), reaching the theoretical maximum value of vanadium oxide based on insertion/desertion of three lithium ions, in addition to strong cyclic stability at 1 A g(−1).