Preparation of MoO2 nanoparticles/rGO nanocomposites and their high electrochemical properties for lithium ion batteries

MoO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites (MoO2 NPs/rGO) with different rGO contents were prepared by a two-step hydrothermal process. When the content of rGO was 10 wt%, the MoO2 nanoparticles were uniformly deposited on the rGO nanosheets, and the corresponding MoO2 NPs/rGO nanocomposites also exhibited the highest reversible capacities of 1647 mAh g−1 at the first cycle and 1269 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles. This material also had stable rate capacity for 991 mAh g−1 at 1 mA cm−2. The outstanding electrochemical performance of the nanocomposite may be attributed to the synergistic interaction between MoO2 NPs and rGO, as there were enough void spaces to buffer volume change in the microstructures of the MoO2 NPs/rGO nanocomposites. Furthermore, rGO nanosheets in the MoO2 NPs/rGO nanocomposites could act as not only active materials but also electronic conductive channels to improve the electrochemical performance.