Low temperature molybdenum oxide as host lattice for lithium intercalation

The heat treatment of molybdenum oxide dihydrate resulting from the acidification of Na2MoO4 solution leads to various molybdenum trioxides MoO3. Electrochemical Li insertion into these compounds varies depending on the temperature required for drying the MoO3 · 2H2O (250,400 and 500 °C). The lower the temperature of the heat treatment, the better is the electrochemical performance. The lowest temperature 250 °C induced the formation of a long-range disordered oxide characterized by a high surface area exhibiting the best performance both in terms of specific capacity (≈ 2F/MoO3) and cycling efficiency, which were found to be significantly higher than that usually obtained for the conventional crystalline or amorphous MoO3 or for the heat-treated form at 500 °C (≈ 1.5F/MoO3). For example, when galvanostatic cycling experiments are performed at a C/10 discharge-charge rate within cycling limits 3.8/2 V, not, vert, similar 300 Ah kg−1 oxide were still recovered after 10 cycles.