α-MoO3 sheets with high exposed plane reinforced by thermal plasma for stable Li-ion storage

Synthesize particular structural material is an effective way to improve the performances of conversion mechanism materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), as there are inevitable huge volume expansion and severe concentration of granular material during the structure conversion process while Li+ insertion and extraction for charge-discharge, which lead to particles crack and performance deterioration. Here, we design special α-MoO3 sheets with high exposure of (110) crystal plane enhanced by thermal plasma in one-pot method and scale production (0.6∼1 kg/h, 10 kW). Ex-situ High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that α-MoO3 sheets with high exposure of (110) crystal plane could deliver more sites and channels for Li+ insertion, accommodate small volume changes, and generate a thin and stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layers. As an anode material for LIBs, the MoO3 sheets exhibit impressive results with capacity of 700 mAh g−1 for 200 cycles, a relatively excellent Initial Coulombic Efficiency (ICE) of 70%, and high rate capability (500 mAh g−1, 3C rate). These experimental results provide a novel perspective for developing progressive transitional metal oxide on basis of conversion mechanism. [Display omitted]