Mg <sup>2+</sup> Aliovalent Substitution Coupled Proton‐Tuned Desolvation for NH <sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> Storage Enhancement in α‐MoO <sub>3</sub>

Aqueous NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> storage holds great promise but is hindered by its strongly hydrated shell, which elevates the desolvation barrier. Notably, α-MoO<sub>3</sub> stands out for its layered structure and multivalent redox activity, yet its wide bandgap significantly slows down interfacial reactivity. To tackle these challenges, we propose a strategy by integrating host material coupled with electrolyte design. Specifically, Mg<sup>2+</sup> aliovalent substitution could optimize α-MoO<sub>3</sub> band structure, thereby enhancing its electronic conductivity. Meanwhile, the introduction of a proton-enriched electrolyte disrupts the NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> solvation shell and reduces the desolvation barrier. Remarkably, the optimized electrode delivers a specific capacity of 239.2 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 2 A g<sup>-1</sup> with a capacity retention of 87.8% after 5000 cycles. Moreover, the assembled aqueous symmetric device delivers a high-energy density of 46.7 Wh kg<sup>-1</sup> at 800.6 W kg<sup>-1</sup>. In situ/ex situ characterizations and DFT calculations reveal a synergistic NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup>/H<sup>+</sup> costorage mechanism in MMO-A, involving reversible Mo<sup>6+</sup>/Mo<sup>5+</sup> transitions, MoO bond evolution and dynamic MoOH formation, as well as increased NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> adsorption energy and interfacial charge transfer. This work offers insightful design principles and application prospects for advanced aqueous NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> storage systems.

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Journal
ChemSusChem
Published
2026-02-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202502285
Primary Topic
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
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article
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article

Mg 2+ Aliovalent Substitution Coupled Proton‐Tuned Desolvation for NH 4 + Storage Enhancement in α‐MoO 3

Degao Wang, Zheng Chen, Yue Zhang, Fujun Niu et al.
ChemSusChem
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
article

Mg 2+ Aliovalent Substitution Coupled Proton‐Tuned Desolvation for NH 4 + Storage Enhancement in α‐MoO 3

Degao Wang, Zheng Chen, Yue Zhang, Fujun Niu, Zhaoqin Chu, Xu Han, Xun Chen
article en

Abstract

Aqueous NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> storage holds great promise but is hindered by its strongly hydrated shell, which elevates the desolvation barrier. Notably, α-MoO<sub>3</sub> stands out for its layered structure and multivalent redox activity, yet its wide bandgap significantly slows down interfacial reactivity. To tackle these challenges, we propose a strategy by integrating host material coupled with electrolyte design. Specifically, Mg<sup>2+</sup> aliovalent substitution could optimize α-MoO<sub>3</sub> band structure, thereby enhancing its electronic conductivity. Meanwhile, the introduction of a proton-enriched electrolyte disrupts the NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> solvation shell and reduces the desolvation barrier. Remarkably, the optimized electrode delivers a specific capacity of 239.2 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 2 A g<sup>-1</sup> with a capacity retention of 87.8% after 5000 cycles. Moreover, the assembled aqueous symmetric device delivers a high-energy density of 46.7 Wh kg<sup>-1</sup> at 800.6 W kg<sup>-1</sup>. In situ/ex situ characterizations and DFT calculations reveal a synergistic NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup>/H<sup>+</sup> costorage mechanism in MMO-A, involving reversible Mo<sup>6+</sup>/Mo<sup>5+</sup> transitions, MoO bond evolution and dynamic MoOH formation, as well as increased NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> adsorption energy and interfacial charge transfer. This work offers insightful design principles and application prospects for advanced aqueous NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> storage systems.

ChemSusChemVol. 19(3)
Liaoning University (CN), Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Advanced Energy (United States) (US), Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology (CN)
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 70%
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
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