Electrochemistry of LiV3O8 nanoparticles made by flame spray pyrolysis

LiV3O8 nanoparticles (primary particles with ca. 50 nm diameter) have been synthesized by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP). The powder was characterised by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and galvanostatic cycling. The initial discharge capacity of the LiV3O8 nanoparticles is 271 mAh g-1 when discharged from its open-circuit potential to 2.0 V vs Li/Li+ at a specific current of 100 mA g-1 under ambient conditions. The nanoparticles retained a specific discharge capacity of 180 mAh g-1 beyond 50 cycles. This paper describes the synthesis route as well as the characterizations of the FSP-produced LiV3O8 nanoparticles.