Aerogels are composed of a three-dimensional network of nanometer-sized solid particles surrounded by a continuous macroporous and mesoporous volume. The porosity provides both molecular accessibility and rapid mass transport and for these reasons, aerogels have been widely used in the heterogeneous catalytic materials field (1). However, electrochemical materials in general, and battery materials in particular, have yet to exploit this nanoarchitecture, despite the fact that one would expect such physical features to be desirable for electrochemical reactions (2). This paper reviews some of the interesting, and unexpected, electrochemical results obtained with vanadium oxide aerogels. These results underscore the benefits to be gained by creating battery materials with mesoporous architectures.
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