Piper longum Extract-Mediated Green Synthesis of Porous Cu₂O:Mo Microspheres and Their Superior Performance as Active Anode Material in Lithium-Ion Batteries

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.