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Control of crystal size tailors the electrochemical performance of alpha-V2O5 as a Mg2+ intercalation host

Johnson, ID; Stapleton, N; Nolis, G; Bauer, D; Parajuli, P; Yoo, HD; Yin, L; ... Cabana, J; + view all (2021) Control of crystal size tailors the electrochemical performance of alpha-V2O5 as a Mg2+ intercalation host. Nanoscale 10.1039/d1nr03080a. Green open access

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Abstract

α-V2O5 has been extensively explored as a Mg2+ intercalation host with potential as a battery cathode, offering high theoretical capacities and potentials vs. Mg2+/Mg. However, large voltage hysteresis is observed with Mg insertion and extraction, introducing significant and unacceptable round-trip energy losses with cycling. Conventional interpretations suggest that bulk ion transport of Mg2+ within the cathode particles is the major source of this hysteresis. Herein, we demonstrate that nanosizing α-V2O5 gives a measurable reduction to voltage hysteresis on the first cycle that substantially raises energy efficiency, indicating that mechanical formatting of the α-V2O5 particles contributes to hysteresis. However, no measurable improvement in hysteresis is found in the nanosized α-V2O5 in latter cycles despite the much shorter diffusion lengths, suggesting that other factors aside from Mg transport, such as Mg transfer between the electrolyte and electrode, contribute to this hysteresis. This observation is in sharp contrast to the conventional interpretation of Mg electrochemistry. Therefore, this study uncovers critical fundamental underpinning limiting factors in Mg battery electrochemistry, and constitutes a pivotal step towards a high-voltage, high-capacity electrode material suitable for Mg batteries with high energy density.

Type: Article
Title: Control of crystal size tailors the electrochemical performance of alpha-V2O5 as a Mg2+ intercalation host
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1039/d1nr03080a
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1nr03080a
Language: English
Additional information: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.
Keywords: 1ST PRINCIPLES CALCULATIONS, CATHODE MATERIAL, VANADIUM-OXIDE, V2O5, MAGNESIUM, LITHIUM, INSERTION, SPECTROSCOPY, BATTERIES, COMPOSITES
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Chemistry
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10129373
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