Ammonolyzed MoO3 Nanobelts as Novel Cathode Material of Rechargeable Li‐Ion Batteries

Through a moderate ammonolysis method, nanobelts of α‐MoO₃ can be modified to H_xMo(O, N)_3. When reaction temperatures are kept between 200–300 °C, gaseous NH₃ diffuses in‐between the oxide layers and reacts with terminal oxygen sites of MoO₃. As a consequence, hydrogen is introduced into the layers and bonded to terminal oxygen, and together with the effect of nitradation, the unit cell volume significantly shrinks mostly along the b axis. The modified compound H_xMo(O, N)₃ exhibits not only better electronic conductivity, but also faster lithium ion mobility than regular MoO₃. In addition, this ammonolyzed MoO₃ exhibits enhanced electrochemical performance beyond MoO₃. In the potential window 1.5–3.5 V, the specific capacity of H_xMo(O, N)₃ can reach more than 250 A h kg^?1 and was cycled 300 times without fading. It can be considered as a novel candidate cathode material with high specific charge for rechargeable Li‐ion batteries.