Recent Progress on Molybdenum Oxides for Rechargeable Batteries

Diminishing fossil-fuel resources and a rise in energy demands has required the pursuit of sustainable and rechargeable energy-storage materials, including batteries and supercapacitors, the electrochemical properties of which depend largely on the electrode materials. In recent decades, numerous electrode materials with excellent electrochemical energy-storage capabilities, long life spans, and environmentally acceptable qualities have been developed. Among existing materials, molybdenum oxides containing MoO3 and MoO2, as well as their composites, are very fascinating contenders for competent energy-storage devices because of their exceptional physicochemical properties, such as thermal stability, high theoretical capability, and mechanical strength. This Minireview mainly focuses on the latest progress for the use of molybdenum oxides as electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries; sodium-ion batteries; and other novel batteries, such as lithium-sulfur batteries, lithium-oxygen batteries, and newly developed hydrogen-ion batteries, with a focus on studies of the reaction mechanism, design of the electrode structures, and improvement of the electrochemical properties.