Fast and large-scale synthesis of 2D molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) nanosheets for ion-exchange battery applications

A simple new method for synthesizing large-scale quantities of few layer MoO3 nanosheets (thicknesses of 1.5 to 3 nm) is reported. It is shown that direct evaporation of pure molybdenum foil in low air pressures (~10-1 to... [ view full abstract ]

A simple new method for synthesizing large-scale quantities of few layer MoO₃ nanosheets (thicknesses of 1.5 to 3 nm) is reported. It is shown that direct evaporation of pure molybdenum foil in low air pressures (~10^-1 to 10^-2 Torr), by applying high current, yields 2D few layer MoO₃ nanosheets in bulk quantities. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and scanning tunneling microscope (STM) images of the as-prepared samples show that the nanosheets have uniform morphologies with areas in the order of 1.5 μm × 0.5 μm, and thicknesses of less than 3 nm.

X-ray powder  diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscope images show the single crystal structure of the nanosheets, which correspond to the known XRD peaks of MoO3. The fast synthesis method presented here could facilitate the commercial and industrial application of these nanosheets and their derivatives in high performance ion batteries and sensors.