In situ growth of sandwich-like NiMoO₄ nanowires/reduced graphene oxide hybrid for high-performance lithium storage

Transition metal oxide electrodes, with rational structure as well as component design and combination with carbonaceous conductive support, are widely used in high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, NiMoO₄ nanowires in situ decorated on reduced graphene oxide (NiMoO₄/rGO) were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal and subsequent annealing method. Due to the enhanced electrical conductivity and buffering matrix provided by rGO and the synergistic effect between NiMoO₄ and rGO, the resultant NiMoO₄/rGO exhibits short ion transport pathways and improved diffusion kinetics. The results reveal that NiMoO₄/rGO hybrid shows much improved lithium storage performances compared with pure NiMoO₄ nanowires including a high specific capacity (1212.4 mAh g⁻¹ after 100 cycles at 0.2 A g⁻¹), high rate capability (988.6 mAh g⁻¹ at 2 A g⁻¹ and 928.1 mAh g⁻¹ at 4 A g⁻¹) and excellent cycling performance at high current density (1007.6 mAh g⁻¹ after 1000 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹) when applied as anode material for LIBs, outperforming most of the reported metal molybdates-based electrodes. Besides, such excellent lithium storage performance, combined with the simple hydrothermal-annealing synthesis strategy, makes the NiMoO₄/rGO a promising anode material for high-performance LIBs.