V₂O₅@TiO₂ composite as cathode material for lithium-ion storage with excellent performance

V₂O₅ is a promising candidate for cathode active material for Li-ion batteries due to its high theoretical specific capacity but suffers from poor rate capability and cycling stability. To cover these disadvantages, in this work, a low-cost and facile sol-gel method to prepare TiO₂-coated V₂O₅ microspheres is developed for the first time. The prepared V₂O₅@TiO₂ composite could deliver an initial capacity of 297.7 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 100 mA g⁻¹ in the potential range of 2.0–4.0 V (vs. Li⁺/Li). Moreover, the capacity of 247.0 mA h g⁻¹ could be delivered at 1000 mA g⁻¹, and 86% of capacity could be retained after 100 cycles. Even at a large current density of 5000 mA g⁻¹, it could still deliver a high capacity of 197.3 mA h g⁻¹ with a capacity retention of 93.5% after 200 cycles. The outstanding rate and cycling stability of V₂O₅@TiO₂ composite indicate that it holds bright prospect for using as an excellent cathode material for rechargeable lithium batteries.