Facile synthesis of lithium-vanadium-molybdenum oxide nanocomposite as high-performance anode material for lithium ion batteries

A lithium-vanadium-molybdenum-oxide composite has been prepared by a soft chemical route with mechanical activation assistance followed by low-temperature heat treatment in argon atmosphere. The X-ray diffraction reveals that the synthesized sample is made up of Li3V(MoO4)3 and LiVOMoO4 crystal phases. The SEM images show the fine particles ~300 nm in size. HRTEM image shows a clear crystal boundary between the two phases. The composite possesses good electrochemical performance as anode material. Particularly, it delivers an initial charge capacity of 927 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1 with a high initial coulombic efficiency of 81.2% and maintains 87.8% of its initial capacity after 50 cycles. Even if tested at 1000 mA g−1, it can deliver a reversible capacity of 542 mA h g−1.