MoO2 nanosheets embedded into carbon nanofibers with a self-standing structure for lithium ion and sodium ion batteries

Abstract Molybdenum dioxides have been investigated in alkali-ion batteries owing to their low electrical resistivity, large interlayer spacing and high theoretical capacity. However, the slow diffusion kinetics lead to the poor electrochemical performance of Molybdenum dioxides. Herein, MoO2 nanosheets embedded into carbon nanofibers are designed and synthesized by multi-step methods. The composite delivers the high lithium/sodium ion storage performance and stable ion diffusion, ascribed to the synergistic effect of carbon nanofibers and MoO2 nanosheets. MoO2 nanosheets are major contributors to the capacity of composite and carbon nanofibers can provide an interconnected three-dimensional conductive and diffusion networks to improve the kinetics process of MoO2. The proposed synthesis strategy may offer an effective route to construct the high-performance electrodes for the wearable devices.