Lithium intercalation in MoO3-nH2O

Oxide-hydrates of molybdenum (OHM) are of interest as lithium insertion electrodes for rechargeable lithium batteries because they offer wide operating temperature, long shelf life and low cost. We have studied the electrochemical characteristics of Li/OHM batteries using two types of commercial materials. Results are as follows. (a) The discharge potential (Φ) ranges between 3.0 and 1.5 V and it is a function of the water content into the cathode. (b) The electro-insertion of Li occurs mainly in two steps in the compositional range 0<x(Li)<1.5. (c) The discharge/charge (Φ-x) curves are very well fitted using a theoretical relationship based on the mean field approximation of a lattice-gas model including an ion-ion interaction term. (d) Kinetics show that Li-ions are highly mobile in the OHM framework. Long-term cycling has been investigated and a detailed analysis of the residual fading capacity during cycling is given. Paper presented at the 3rd Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Teulada, Sardinia, Italy, Sept. 15–22, 1996