Design of Cu2O coated Cu3V2O7(OH)2•2H2O microflower with in-situ crystallization process and enhanced Li-storage properties

Copper vanadates have received considerable attention as the novel anode materials for lithium ion battery. However, its further application was restricted by the inferior cycling performance because of their larger volume change in lithiation reaction. In this paper, an in-situ crystallization route was employed to prepare a Cu2O coated Cu3V2O2(OH)(2)center dot 2H(2)O three dimensional microflower (Cu3V2O7(OH)(2)center dot 2H(2)O@Cu2O) for lithium-ion battery anodes. The designed Cu2O layers could prevent the damage originated from the volume variation of Cu3V2O2(OH)(2)center dot 2H(2)O in the lithium insertion/extraction process. The cycling stability of Cu3V2O2(OH)(2)center dot 2H(2)O@Cu2O microflower has been significantly improved compared to pure Cu3V2O2(OH)(2)center dot 2H(2)O. It exhibits a reversible capacity of 414 mAh g(-1) at the current density of 100 mA g(-1) after 100 cycles.