<i>Piper longum</i> Extract-Mediated Green Synthesis of Porous Cu<sub>2</sub>O:Mo Microspheres and Their Superior Performance as Active Anode Material in Lithium-Ion Batteries
Paskalis Sahaya Murphin Kumar, Ala’a H. Al‐Muhtaseb, Gopalakrishnan Kumar, Ajayan Vinu, Wangsoo Cha, Julio Villanueva‐Cab, Umapada Pal, Siva Kumar Krishnan
Abstract
Fabrication of nano- and microstructure-based anodes capable of accommodating the lithiation-induced strain, high specific capacity, and longer cycling stability is the principal challenge for developing next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with higher energy density. Herein, we report a green route for fabricating porous molybdenum-doped cuprous oxide (Cu2O:Mo) microspheres of high specific surface area. The porous Cu2O:Mo microspheres have been utilized as active anode materials in LIBs, revealing excellent electrochemical performance. The electrodes fabricated with the porous Cu2O:Mo microspheres yielded outstanding Li-ion uptake performance, with a specific capacity of 1128 mAh g–1 at 0.1 Ag–1 and enhanced rate performance, and cycling stability (1082 mAh g–1 at 0.1 Ag–1 after 100 charge–discharge cycles). Enhanced specific capacity, stable cycling stability, and excellent rate capability of the fabricated electrodes indicate the porous Cu2O:Mo microspheres are potential anode material for fabricating next-generation high-performance LIBs. The synthetic approach adapted for fabricating the porous Cu2O:Mo microspheres is facile, relatively greener, and low-cost, which can be utilized for fabricating other metal oxide-based porous microstructures for application in energy storage devices.