High capacity lithium-ion battery cathode using LiV3O8 nanorods

•LiV3O8 nanorods with high DLithium value estimated during discharge process.•Decreasing diffusion length due to two dimensional morphology as well as shorter diffusion pathway.•Low charge-transfer resistance in case of 30% carbon loading, leading rise to faster electrode kinetics.•High exchange current density during charging and discharging processes makes LiV3O8 nanorods as excellent high rate cathode materials. Nanorods of LiV3O8 are synthesized using citrate assisted sol–gel method followed by room temperate quenching technique. The physical parameters are identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), high resolution transmission electron spectroscopy (HR-TEM). The detailed kinetic studies of these electrodes comprising of different weight percentage of conductive carbon and fixed binder concentration are pursued by cyclic voltammetry (CV), in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) experiments. The in situ EIS results during lithium-ion intercalation and deintercalation processes are discussed on the basis of equivalent electrical circuit model and analyzed by non linear least square fit method. The estimated kinetic parameters are analyzed after obtaining good agreement between fitted EIS spectra and experimental data. The change in the kinetic parameters with varying offset potentials is also discussed within the experimental limit. Due to high apparent lithium-ion diffusion in solid matrix as well as low charge transfer resistance and relatively high exchange current density value, made this nanorod materials attractive for high rate lithium-ion battery applications. Herein, LiV3O8 nanorods exhibit excellent electrochemical properties and demonstrate superior cycling behavior with first discharge capacity of 338mAhg−1, 283mAhg−1, 237mAhg−1 at 101mAg−1 for 30%, 20%, and 10% carbon additive, respectively.