A cooperative biphasic MoO(x)–MoP(x) promoter enables a fast-charging lithium-ion battery

The realisation of fast-charging lithium-ion batteries with long cycle lifetimes is hindered by the uncontrollable plating of metallic Li on the graphite anode during high-rate charging. Here we report that surface engineering of graphite with a cooperative biphasic MoO(x)–MoP(x) promoter improves the charging rate and suppresses Li plating without compromising energy density. We design and synthesise MoO(x)–MoP(x)/graphite via controllable and scalable surface engineering, i.e., the deposition of a MoO(x) nanolayer on the graphite surface, followed by vapour-induced partial phase transformation of MoO(x) to MoP(x). A variety of analytical studies combined with thermodynamic calculations demonstrate that MoO(x) effectively mitigates the formation of resistive films on the graphite surface, while MoP(x) hosts Li(+) at relatively high potentials via a fast intercalation reaction and plays a dominant role in lowering the Li(+) adsorption energy. The MoO(x)–MoP(x)/graphite anode exhibits a fast-charging capability (<10 min charging for 80% of the capacity) and stable cycling performance without any signs of Li plating over 300 cycles when coupled with a LiNi(0.6)Co(0.2)Mn(0.2)O(2) cathode. Thus, the developed approach paves the way to the design of advanced anode materials for fast-charging Li-ion batteries.