Agaric-like anodes of porous carbon decorated with MoO₂ nanoparticles for stable ultralong cycling lifespan and high-rate lithium/sodium storage

The agaric-like anodes of porous carbon decorated with MoO₂ nanoparticles (MoO₂/C) for reversible Li/Na storage were synthesized via a green and facile bio-inspired route. The uniformly distributed MoO₂ nanoparticles, the porous agaric-like carbon matrix and high degree graphitization of carbon materials, effectively mitigated the huge volume changes during cycling and improved the reversible capacity, resulting in the outstanding electrochemical behaviors with excellent rate capability, high capacity and excellent stable long cycling lifespan as anodes for lithium and sodium storage. Especially, the MoO₂/C electrodes showed ultralong cycling performance under high current density of 5.0 A g⁻¹, presenting a reversible capacity of 363.2 mAh g⁻¹ after a prolonged 2000-cycles as anodes for Li storage. Meanwhile, the MoO₂/C electrodes displayed a super-long cycling lifespan of 3000 cycles with the reversible discharge capacity of 193.5 mAh g⁻¹ at the current density of 5.0 A g⁻¹ for Na storage. Furthermore, the kinetic analysis of MoO₂/C-4 electrodes as anodes for Li/Na storage was carried out to further investigate the electrochemical behavior. The ultralong cycling performance under high-density could satisfy the demands of next-generation anode electrodes for Li/Na ion batteries, promoting the commercialization process of MoO₂-based materials.