Promising electrochemical performance of Cu3Mo2O9 nanorods for lithium-ion batteries

Cu 3 Mo 2 O 9 nanorods (NRs) have been prepared via a facile hydrothermal method with subsequent heat treatment. The sample is characterized by the XRD, SEM, TEM, and XPS techniques. The results indicate that Cu 3 Mo 2 O 9 NRs crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pnma and have the diameters at around 100 nm. As the anode material for lithium-ion batteries, Cu 3 Mo 2 O 9 NRs can deliver an initial discharge capacity of 1209 mAh/g at a current density of 300 mA/g in the potential window of 0.005–3 V, and a reversible capacity of 440 mAh/g can be maintained after 400 cycles. Furthermore, Cu 3 Mo 2 O 9 NRs still have the capacity of 437 mAh/g even at 1 A/g. The improved electrochemical performance of Cu 3 Mo 2 O 9 can be attributed to the effect of enhanced contact area and shortened Li + ions’ transport distance between the Cu 3 Mo 2 O 9 NRs and the electrolyte.