One-pot solution combustion synthesis of crystalline and amorphous molybdenum trioxide as anode for lithium-ion battery

In this study, crystalline MoO3 rods and amorphous MoO3 microsheets were synthesized using a one-step, large-scale, and time- and energy-efficient solution combustion synthesis method. When urea was used as a fuel, ultralong rod-like crystalline MoO3 with a length over 50 mu m was synthesized. In the case of citric acid, an amorphous MoO3 product with a porous microsheet structure was obtained. As anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the unique structure of amorphous MoO3 sample has significant advantages including fast diffusion of lithium ion, providing a lot of active sites for lithium ion storage and stable structure. Thus, the amorphous MoO3 sample exhibits greater electrochemical performance, a high capacity of 818 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 A g(-1) in the 100th cycle and 510 mAh g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) in the 300th cycle, than that of crystalline MoO3 product. Moreover, this study provides guide for preparing other amorphous and crystalline transition-metal oxides with a pure phase.