Na⁺ Preintercalated MoO₃ Microrods for Aqueous Zinc/Sodium Batteries with Enhanced Performance

Layered molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) is being investigated as a cathode material with high theoretical capacity and holds promise for aqueous secondary batteries. Unfortunately, the severe structural degradation of MoO₃ and insufficient intrinsic properties hinder its practical application. Herein, a Na⁺ preintercalation strategy is reported as an effective method to construct cathodes with high performance for aqueous zinc/sodium batteries (AZSBs). Compared with pristine MoO₃, the Na⁺ preintercalated Na_0.25MoO₃ cathode delivers a reversible capacity of 251.1 mAh g^-1 at 1 A g^-1, achieves a capacity retention of 79.2% after 500 cycles, and exhibits a high rate capability (121.5 mAh g^-1 at 20 A g^-1), which is superior to that in most of the previous reports. Through the experimental measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the preintercalation method could shorten the forbidden band gap and modulate the electronic structure and hence effectively inhibit the structural collapse of MoO₃ microrods, induce reversible Na+ insertion, and enhance the discharge potential. This work is of significance for further research on molybdenum-based compounds as cathode materials for aqueous secondary batteries.