Facile synthesis of Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O as cathode for primary lithium batteries

Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O materials have been synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route without any templates. The XRD results showed that the as-prepared materials are of high crystallinity and high purity. The Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O material prepared at 190 °C for 12 h is composed of a large quantity of well-separated nanoparticles with the diameters ranging from 50 nm to 200 nm. The results of electrochemical measurement indicate that the Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O material exhibits high initial discharge capacity and high-rate capability. A high specific discharge capacity of 544, 503, 475, 458 and 429 mAh g−1 can be achieved at different current densities of 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 mA g−1, respectively. The superior electrochemical properties suggest that they are a promising cathode material for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).