Ultrafine molybdenum oxycarbide nanodots encapsulated in N,P co-doped carbon nanofibers as an advanced anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Abstract Molybdenum oxycarbide (MoOC) is a single-phase compound, which can serve as a potential anode for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) that integrates the merits of the high specific capacity of MoO2 and high conductivity of Mo2C. Herein, a novel architecture with N,P co-doped C nanofibers and MoOC nanodots is constructed from a one-step phosphorization of MoO x /aniline organic–inorganic hybrid. Ultrafine MoOC nanodots are well confined by N,P co-doped C nanofibers, which ensures fast Li+/electron transfer and good stability of the structure under repeated charge/discharge processes. When this unique hybrid is employed as an anode material for LIBs, promising Li+ storage properties are gained in terms of high specific capacity, superb rate and long-term cycling performance. The remarkable capacitive contribution facilitates the fast Li+ uptake/release. This work may shed light on the development of well-defined Mo-based anodes for advanced LIBs.