Vanadium oxide prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition was cycled in different voltage ranges in a lithium battery. Electrochemical cycling results show a surprisingly low irreversibility during the first discharge and good stability for close to 1000 cycles between 4 and 0 V Raman spectroscopy results indicate that a major structural transformation takes place when the films are cycled down to 1.8 V, after which the structural features remain intact even after cycling to 0 V. Degradation of the electrode only occurs after extended cycling. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.