Improvement of the lithium insertion properties of Li1.1V3O8

Two Li1.1V3O8 samples have been prepared by heating a sol–gel precursor at 350 °C and 650 °C, i.e. below and above the melting point, respectively. Their electrochemical lithium insertion behavior was investigated after different grinding treatments. This work shows the importance of grain morphology (size, size distribution and shape) and texture (agglomeration of smaller particles or not) on both initial capacity and cyclability. It also shows that the dissolution of a small quantity of VIII in the electrolyte occurs during the last process at 2.4 V, depending on the morphology of the compound studied. Such results were taken advantage of to optimize the morphology and texture of Li1.1V3O8 in order to obtain enhanced performance.