Fe₂Mo₃O₈ nanoparticles self-assembling 3D mesoporous hollow spheres toward superior lithium storage properties

Abstract

Unique self-assembled iron(II) molybdenum(IV) oxide (Fe₂Mo₃O₈) mesoporous hollow spheres have been facilely constructed via the bubble-template-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method combined with simple calcination. The compact assembly of small nanoparticles on the surface of the hollow spheres not only provides more active sites for the Fe₂Mo₃O₈, but also benefits the stability of the hollow structure, and thus improved the lithium storage properties of Fe₂Mo₃O₈. The Fe₂Mo₃O₈ mesoporous hollow spheres exhibit high initial discharge and charge capacities of 1189 and 997 mA∙h∙g⁻¹ respectively, as well as good long-term cycling stability (866 mA∙h∙g⁻¹ over 70 cycles) when used as a lithium-ion battery anode. This feasible material synthesis strategy will inspire the variation of structural design in other ternary metal molybdates.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

molybdates / Fe₂Mo₃O₈ / hollow spheres / lithium ion batteries / anodes

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21203116 and 51602184), the China Scholarship Council (CSC), the Innovate UK (Grant No. 104013), EPSRC UKRI (EP/T024682/1), the institutional strategic grant-Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) that City, University of London receives from Research England, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi (Grant No. 2020JM-502), the funding for platform construction of energy storage materials and devices in Shaanxi University of Science and Technology (Grant No. 0126-126021802).

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1986-x and is accessible for authorized users.

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