Encapsulating MoO2 Nanocrystals into Flexible Carbon Nanofibers via Electrospinning for High-Performance Lithium Storage

Polymers (Basel). 2020 Dec 23;13(1):22. doi: 10.3390/polym13010022.

Abstract

Design and synthesis of flexible and self-supporting electrode materials in high-performance lithium storage is significant for applications in the field of smart wearable devices. Herein, flexible carbon nanofiber membranes with uniformly distributed molybdenum dioxide (MoO2) nanocrystals are fabricated by a needlefree electrospinning method combined with the subsequent carbonization process, which exhibits outstanding structural stability under abrasion and deformation. The as-fabricated lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) exhibit a high discharge of 450 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles at 2000 mA g-1 by using the MoO2/C nanofiber membrane as the self-supporting anode. Further, the nanofibers structure remains intact after 500 cycles, which reflects the excellent stability of the materials. This study provides a simple and effective method for the preparation of MoO2/C nanofiber materials, which can not only maintain its excellent electrochemical and physical properties, but also easily realize large-scale production. It is undoubtedly beneficial for the development of flexible LIBs and smart wearable devices.

Keywords: electrospun; flexible electrode; lithium-ion battery anodes; molybdenum dioxide.