Nanocrystalline Li2MoO4: Synthesis and electrical studies

Li-Mo-O phase class materials are suitable negative electrode materials for Li-ion batteries. They exhibit better performance at the nanoscale level. This current work deals with the synthesis of nanocrystalline Li2MoO4 material, synthesized by the solution combustion technique using citric acid as the chelating agent. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis were employed to study the structure and morphology of the prepared material. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was utilized to study the molecular structure and chemical bonds present in the material. Magnetic characteristics of the Li2MoO4 were explored using the vibrational sample magnetometer. Frequency-and temperature-dependent electrical properties were explored using broadband dielectric spectroscopy. The results revealed the presence of two different relaxations, one corresponding to the free dipoles of LiO4 and MoO4 molecules and the other corresponding to the relaxation of pinned dipoles formed by the association of free carriers with defects. A novel model combining these relaxations was used to fit the electrical data. Activation energies for relaxation and DC conduction were calculated, and the corresponding results were discussed. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.