Three types of V2O5 structures including nanobelts, nanoparticles and microspheres were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route and combination of calcination. The morphology of the sample depends on the quantity of oxalic acid used in the experiments. V2O5 nanobelts, nanoparticles and microspheres were respectively obtained when 0.63, 1.89 and 3.78 g of oxalic acid were used. The composition, morphology and structure of the samples were characterized by XRD, IR, SEM and TEM, respectively. The electrochemical properties of V2O5 nanobelts, nanoparticles and microspheres as electrodes in a supercapacitor device were measured using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD). The electrochemical results indicate that V2O5 microspheres lead to a significant improvement of storage capacity and they show the largest specific capacitance of 308 F g(-1) when used as supercapacitor electrode in 1 mol L-1 LiNO3 electrolyte. It turns out that V2O5 microsphere is an ideal material compared with other morphologies for supercapacitor electrode in the present work. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.