Hydrated lithium ions intercalated V2O5 with dual-ion synergistic insertion mechanism for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries

[Display omitted] •The hydrated lithium ions act as intercalated guest species to pillar V2O5 for aqueous zinc-ion batteries.•The Li0.45V2O5·0.89H2O cathode exhibits excellent electrochemical performance.•The Li0.45V2O5·0.89H2O cathode possess a synergistic insertion mechanism of Zn2+ and H+. Li0.45V2O5·0.89H2O (LVO) was successfully synthesized by wet-mixing of LiOH·H2O and V2O5, with subsequent hydrothermal method for the first time. The hydrated lithium ions as the intercalated guest species were inserted into the V2O5 interlayer. The as-obtained LVO with a stable lamellar structure, enlarged interlayer space, weak interlayer repulsive force and low molecular weight, which shows a specific capacitance of 403 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, excellent rate capability and longlifespan with capacity retention of 86% over 1000 cycles at 10 A g−1. Furthermore, the LVO-based AZIBs possess a synergistic insertion mechanism of Zn2+ and H+, that is the reason for its superior performance. This work provides an efficient design strategy for synthesizing advanced cathode materials for the high-performance Zn2+ energy storage system.