Facile synthesis of MoO 2 @C nanoflowers as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries

Abstract Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) have been considered to be the promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to the limited availability and uneven distribution of lithium resources. The exploration of anode materials for SIBs was still limited, and transition metal oxides (TMOs) have been widely studied for a long time. MoO 2 @C nanoflowers were synthesized through a grinding method, followed by an annealing process. In addition, irregular MoO 2 @C nanoparticles could be synthesized, when the amount of ammonium molybdate was increased by twice while other condition kept the same. With excellent dispersity and structural integrity, the as-obtained MoO 2 @C nanoflowers deliver a reversible capacity of 172 mAh g −1 at 0.1 A g −1 and a capacity of 166 mA h g −1 after 1000 cycles at 1.0 A g −1 .