Porous vanadium oxide materials were prepared by electrochemical deposition in the presence of surfactants. Both scanning electron microscopy and ac impedance results indicated a large increase in surface area compared with a sample prepared without surfactants. X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy results indicated that despite the difference in surface area these materials have similar structures. The vanadium oxide electrode prepared in the presence of surfactants showed improved rate performance when used as a cathode in lithium batteries, with a capacity of 220 mAh/g at a 5C rate.