Self‐Assembled Vanadium Pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ) Hollow Microspheres from Nanorods and Their Application in Lithium‐Ion Batteries

“Hedgehog” or “nest” microspheres of V2O5 are formed when nanorods of V2O5 are synthesized in a mediated polyol process. When the concentration of the starting material is low, a nest shape is preferred, whereas a high concentration of [V(acac)3] affords hedgehog-shaped microspheres (see picture). The V2O5 microspheres exhibit remarkable electrochemical properties when used as the cathode material in a lithium-ion battery. Self-assembled structures with highly specific morphology and novel properties are of great interest to chemists and materials scientists. As a result of rapid advancements in synthetic strategies, highly organized building blocks of metals,1 semiconductors,2 copolymers,3 organic–inorganic…