Enabling improved lithium storage properties of novel LiNbMoO6 anode through co-modification by uniform Li2SiO3 thin film and oxygen vacancies

Abstract Multicomponent compounds have been studied as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries since such compounds simultaneously satisfy electrochemical and structural requirements during charge/discharge processes. Herein, LiNbMoO6 manifests high initial charge/discharge specific capacities and excellent cycle performance when used as anode for lithium battery. Furthermore, after modifying with 1 wt% Li2SiO3, the LiNbMoO6/ Li2SiO3 composite delivers increased discharge capacity of 250 mAh g−1 at a current density of 500 mA g−1 even after 1000 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance is attributed to the improved ionic conductivity originating from the unique Li2SiO3 thin film, and the increased electron conductivity due to the introduction of oxygen vacancy in LiNbMoO6 through the preparation process. In addition, the detailed lithium storage mechanism of the LiNbMoO6/Li2SiO3 composite is revealed through ex-situ XPS combined with ex-situ XRD analysis. The unique electrode design strategy in this work would exert significant impact upon constructing other advanced multicomponent electrode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.