Uniform hierarchical MoO2/carbon spheres with high cycling performance for lithium ion batteries

Uniform hierarchical MoO2/C spheres have been prepared through calcination of a MoO3/resin precursor generated via a simple hydrothermal method in the presence of resorcinol, formaldehyde and (NH4)(6)Mo7O24 center dot 4H(2)O. The carbon spheres formed in situ by the carbonization of resorcinol-formaldehyde resin in a N-2 atmosphere reduce MoO3 into MoO2 nanoparticles. The MoO2/C spheres have been characterized by XRD, SEM, HR-TEM and TGA. Used as an anode material, these spheres exhibit not only good rate capability but also high cycling performance. These hierarchical MoO2/C spheres are a promising anode material for high performance lithium ion batteries.