Hollow VO₂ microspheres anchored on graphene as advanced cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Vanadium dioxide-based materials have been proved to be promising cathodes for aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their cost-effectiveness and high theoretical specific capacity; nevertheless, the low electronic conductivity and poor cycle stability restrict their application. Herein, hollow VO₂ microspheres anchored on graphene oxide (H-VO₂@GO) are synthesized via a facile simple hydrothermal reaction as high-performance cathodes for AZIBs. The hollow micromorphology of the material provides a large specific surface area and effectively alleviates the volume changes during cycling, while the anchoring of VO₂ on graphene oxide greatly improves the electronic conductivity and inhibits the agglomeration and pulverization of the material. Resulting from the combination of unique micromorphology and graphene oxide anchoring, the as-prepared H-VO₂@GO exhibits the impressive specific capacity of 400.1 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g and excellent cycling performance with 96.1 % of capacity retention after 1500 cycles at 10 A/g. This investigation provides a use reference for designing high-performance cathodes materials for AZIBs by optimizing the microstructure of electrode materials.