Rapid gas-assisted exfoliation promises V₂O₅ nanosheets for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Scalable synthesis of ultra-thin two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials by exfoliation has emerged as an intriguing approach in the energy field. Herein, a rapid thermal expansion-triggered gas-assisted exfoliation method is applied to synthesize ultra-thin 2D V₂O₅ nanosheets. Unlike other methods, no impurities can be introduced during exfoliation, leading extremely clean 2D nanosheets that are crucial for the investigation of 2D materials in charge-storage fields. The obtained V₂O₅ nanosheets were used as effective host materials for polysulfides in lithium-sulfur batteries, as they can help to confine and alleviate the shuttle of polysulfides efficiently. The as-prepared V₂O₅–S composite electrode delivered an initial discharge capacity of 1638.5 mAh g⁻¹ with a high Coulombic efficiency of 96.7% and maintained a specific capacity of 838.8 mAh g⁻¹ after 200 cycles at 0.1 C current rate. This work supplies a facile approach to obtain transition metal oxides nanosheets, which have potential applications in energy storage and conversion fields.