Synthesis and electrochemical properties of H-MoO3/graphene composite

H-MoO3/graphene microrods are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method, in which ammonium molybdate and graphene oxide are used as starting materials. The template effect of GO on catalyzing the phase transition from alpha-MoO3 to h-MoO3 is firstly reported in this paper. It is confirmed from the X-ray power diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that with the addition of GO, MoO3 changes its phase from orthorhombic to hexagonal, and that graphene sheets are not only coated on the surface but also dispersed in the inner layers of MoO3 rod. Galvohostatic charge/discharge test shows that the h-MoO3/graphene composite exhibits a reversible capacity of 987 mAh/g in the first cycle and 739 mAh/g after 30 cycles under the current density of 100 mA/g in the voltage range of 0.01-3 V (vs. Li+/Li). This result indicates that the as-prepared MoO3/graphene composite is a promising anode material for Li-ion batteries. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.