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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Preparation of Graphene Liquid Cells for the Observation of Lithium-ion Battery Material
Published on: February 5, 2019
Graphene-modified nanostructured vanadium pentoxide hybrids with extraordinary electrochemical performance for Li-ion
Qi Liu1, Zhe-Fei Li1, Yadong Liu1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA.
Abstract:
The long-standing issues of low intrinsic electronic conductivity, slow lithium-ion diffusion and irreversible phase transitions on deep discharge prevent the high specific capacity/energy (443 mAh g(-1) and 1,550 Wh kg(-1)) vanadium pentoxide from being used as the cathode material in practical battery applications. Here we develop a method to incorporate graphene sheets into vanadium pentoxide nanoribbons via the sol-gel process. The resulting graphene-modified nanostructured vanadium pentoxide hybrids contain only 2 wt. % graphene, yet exhibits extraordinary electrochemical performance: a specific capacity of 438 mAh g(-1), approaching the theoretical value (443 mAh g(-1)), a long cyclability and significantly enhanced rate capability. Such performance is the result of the combined effects of the graphene on structural stability, electronic conduction, vanadium redox reaction and lithium-ion diffusion supported by various experimental studies. This method provides a new avenue to create nanostructured metal oxide/graphene materials for advanced battery applications.

