Investigation on properties of V₂O₅–MWCNTs composites as cathode materials

An effective method to prepare the composites of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) was presented. Vanadyl-triisopropoxide (VO(OC₃H₇)₃) was used as the starting material, MWCNTs pretreated with acids by a two-step process was used as the conductive ingredient. V₂O₅–MWCNTs composites were synthesized via a sol–gel method with solvent exchange and an ambient pressure drying technique. The samples were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, BET, Raman spectra and electrical resistivity measurement respectively. The experimental results indicate that the V₂O₅–MWCNTs nanocomposite has a fiber-like and tri-dimensional network structure. Its surface area is up to 189.7 m²/g when the MWCNTs’ content is 15 wt%. And MWCNTs are dispersed homogeneously in the composites. The electrical resistivity of the composites decreases from 1,239 to 765 Ω·cm when the MWCNTs’ content increases from 0 to 10 wt%. Thus MWCNTs can improve properties of V₂O₅ aerogels as the cathode material in lithium batteries.