Phosphorus-Functionalized Fe2VO4/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Mesoporous Nanowires with Exceptional Lithium Storage Performance

The binary transition metal oxides have attracted great attention because of their considerable energy and power densities. However, they suffer from low reaction kinetics and large volume change, limiting their practical energy applications. The construction of a mesoporous structure with a large surface area, the development of a carbon matrix, as well as heteroatom doping can effectively overcome the above challenges. Herein, the synthesis of phosphorous-containing Fe2VO4/nitrogen-doped carbon mesoporous nanowires (P-Fe2VO4/NCMNWs) is reported. In this unique structure, the atomic-level P-doping could increase the conductivity of Fe2VO4 by reducing its band gap, which is confirmed by DFT calculations. Furthermore, the phosphorus can covalently "bridge" the carbon layer and Fe2VO4 through P-C and Fe-O-P bondings. As a result, this anode material exhibits a high capacity (1002 mA h g(-1) at 0.5 A g(-1) after 250 cycles), excellent rate performance (448 mA h g(-1) at 10 A g(-1)), and prominent long-term cycling stability (533 mA h g(-1) at 5 A g(-1) after 500 cycles, 364 mA h g(-1) at 10 A g(-1) after 1000 cycles). All of these attractive features make the P-Fe2VO4/NCMNWs a promising electrode material for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.