Synthesis of porous α-MoO3 microspheres as electrode materials for supercapacitors

Transition metal oxides have achieved tremendous attention in the field of supercapacitor devices due to their outstanding structural properties and capacitive behavior. Herein, a porous alpha-MoO3 microspheres (A-SMO) were synthesized with the aid of CrCl(3 center dot)6H(2)O via a facile hydrothermal reaction and subsequent annealing treatment. The results showed that CrCl(3 center dot)6H(2)O plays a crucial role in manipulating morphology and increasing the specific surface area of the as-prepared products. Moreover, annealing treatment could transform the crystal structure from metastable hexagonal MoO3 to stable orthogonal MoO3, which is more beneficial for electron storage due to the layered crystal structure. Furthermore, the A-SMO displayed an excellent specific capacitance of 201.4 F g(-1) compared with the pristine MoO3 (MO) of 62.0 F g(-1) and the annealed MO (A-MO) of 186.5 F g(-1) at 0.2 A g(-1), when they were directly served as supercapacitor electrodes. This research demonstrates that the as-obtained alpha-MoO3 microspheres can serve as promising electrode materials for supercapacitors. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Transition metal oxide α-MoO3 microspheres were synthesized with the aid of CrCl(3·6H2O) via a facile hydrothermal reaction and subsequent annealing treatment. The presence of CrCl(3·6H2O) played a crucial role in manipulating the morphology and increasing the specific surface area of the synthesized products. The annealing treatment transformed the crystal structure from metastable hexagonal MoO3 to stable orthogonal MoO3, resulting in improved electron storage. The α-MoO3 microspheres demonstrated excellent specific capacitance and showed promise as electrode materials for supercapacitors.