Electrochemical activity of α-MoO3 nano-belts as lithium-ion battery cathode

Abstract

Few metal oxides have seen renewed interest because of their novel reactivity towards Li, leading to a large storage capacity. However, apart from their large capacity gain, it suffers from cycling instability, large polarization loss and poor rate performance. Herein, we report on the structural, morphological and electrochemical properties of α-MoO₃ nano belts prepared by a simple hydrothermal method and used as a cathode for lithium-ion battery application. During the electrode preparation, we observed that the MoO₃ nano-belt composite sample cast on stainless steel (SS) substrate leads to a better electrochemical performance towards Li compared to aluminium (Al) or nickel (Ni) substrates. The reason behind the poor performance was considered here, due to surface passivation on Al substrates. This report comprises experimental results depicting (i) a sustained reversible capacity of 140 mA h g⁻¹ for over 50 cycles at a rate of 200 mA g⁻¹, (ii) outstanding rate capabilities with reversible capacities as high as 320 mA h g⁻¹ at a rate of 50 mA g⁻¹and (iii) electrochemical stability of α-MoO₃ nano belts towards a stainless steel substrate. Being able to make such highly oriented α-MoO₃ nano belt-based electrodes, through the hydrothermal process and providing the electrochemical results, together show another efficient way to use MoO₃ electrodes as a cathode in lithium-ion batteries.