Epsilon-vopo4 cathode production, and applications thereof

A cathode, comprising:

• niobium modified ε-VOPO4 particles having an average size of 100 to 200 nanometers, substantially without spherical agglomerations equal to or greater than 2 microns in diameter, having a niobium concentration that exceeds 3.6 mol %.

A lithium battery cathode, comprising:

• a plurality of active material particles comprising a bulk monoclinic ε-VOPO4 phase and a secondary orthorhombic β-VOPO4 phase;
• wherein the active material particles are modified with niobium at a concentration of between 3.6 mol % and 6.0 mol %;
• and wherein the active material particles exhibit a core-shell physical architecture comprising a niobium-rich surface layer disposed over a bulk core, wherein unit cell lattice parameters of the active material particles deviate from an unmodified ε-VOPO4 reference due to a partial substitution of redox-active vanadium cations by the niobium.