Electrochemical Energy Storage in Molybdenum Oxide Systems

Electrochemical energy storage exploiting molybdenum oxides has attracted intense interest owing to their layered structures, variable oxidation states and high theoretical capacitance. In these systems, MoO₃, MoO₂ and related phases can store charge through both ion intercalation and surface redox reactions, giving rise to mixed battery-type and pseudocapacitive behaviour. Nanostructuring—via nanorods, nanosheets or core–shell architectures—and composite formation with conductive carbons or transition metal hydroxides have been shown to overcome intrinsic limitations in electronic conductivity and structural stability. Advances in synthesis methods, such as hydrothermal growth, templated assembly and vapour-deposition, now permit precise control of crystallographic phase, morphology and defect concentration. These developments have led to electrodes that deliver high energy and power densities, long cycling life and wide operating voltage windows, with applications ranging from flexible supercapacitors to high-voltage aqueous devices.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A pioneering salt-templated method has enabled the synthesis of restacked two-dimensional hexagonal MoO₃ nanosheets by using water-soluble crystal templates. This approach promotes planar growth of MoO₃ with atomically thin layers, maximising exposure of redox-active sites and delivering volumetric capacitances of approximately 300 F cm⁻³ in multivalent electrolytes. The generality of this strategy to various transition metal oxides has established a new paradigm for dimensionality engineering in pseudocapacitive materials and has provided fundamental insights into how lattice matching and defect control can enhance charge-storage performance.

Electrochemical Energy Storage in Molybdenum Oxide Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical energy storage in molybdenum oxide systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Pseudocapacitance: Charge storage mechanism arising from fast and reversible surface redox reactions at the electrode–electrolyte interface, combining features of batteries and capacitors.

Intercalation: Reversible insertion of ions into the layered crystal lattice of a host material, enabling bulk charge storage with minimal structural change.

Asymmetric supercapacitor: An energy storage device pairing two different electrode materials—one battery-type and one capacitive—to extend operating voltage and improve energy density.

Hydrothermal synthesis: A wet-chemical method using elevated temperature and pressure in an aqueous medium to crystallise and grow nanostructured materials.

Core–shell nanostructure: A composite architecture in which an inner core material is encapsulated by an outer shell, allowing the combination of distinct electrical, mechanical or electrochemical properties.

References

1. Scalable salt-templated synthesis of two-dimensional transition metal oxides. Nature Communications (2016).
2. Three‐In‐One Alkylamine‐Tuned MoOx for Lab‐Scale to Real‐Life Aqueous Supercapacitors. Advanced Functional Materials (2022).
3. Self-Assembly Vertical Graphene-Based MoO3 Nanosheets for High Performance Supercapacitors. Nanomaterials (2022).
4. One-Step Synthesis of Heterostructured Mo@MoO2 Nanosheets for High-Performance Supercapacitors with Long Cycling Life and High Rate Capability. Nanomaterials (2024).