Controllable synthesis of hexagonal WO3 nanostructures and their application in lithium batteries

Novel hexagonal WO3 (h-WO3) nanorods have been successfully prepared on a large scale by a simple hydrothermal method by adding Na2SO4. Uniform nanorods with diameters of 100-200 nm and lengths of up to several micrometres are obtained. The morphology evolvement and the growth mechanism were studied carefully with different quantities of Na2SO4. Different experimental parameters can lead to different structures and morphologies of the final products in our experiment. The current understanding of the growth mechanism of these nanostructures potentially provides important information about the structure design and morphology-controlled synthesis of WO3 and other oxides. The electrochemical performances of the as-prepared h-WO3 nanowires as anode materials of Li-ion batteries have also been investigated. These batteries have a discharge capacity of 215 mA h g-1 at the initial cycles and show an extreme capacity retention. The results imply that these h-WO3 nanorods are promising anode materials for Li-ion batteries