MoO3

Molybdenum trioxide · Molybdic anhydride, Molybdic oxide

Molybdenum trioxide is a stable, semiconducting metal oxide used primarily as an electrode material in advanced energy storage devices.

Crystal structure of MoO3 (monoclinic, Pc (No. 7))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Molybdenum trioxide

Molybdenum trioxide is a prominent semiconducting oxide that sits firmly on the thermodynamic convex hull, indicating high stability. As a member of the conversion oxide anode class, it is characterized by its ability to undergo significant structural transformations during electrochemical cycling, making it a subject of extensive research for next-generation battery technologies. Its rich structural diversity, evidenced by hundreds of reported configurations, allows for tunable physical and chemical properties. This versatility is essential for optimizing ion transport and accommodating the volume changes inherent in conversion-based energy storage systems. By leveraging its unique electronic character, researchers aim to overcome traditional limitations in charge density and rate capability.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Molybdenum trioxide, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

0.52–1.95 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
3 DFT sources

Structures

237
5 databases, 37 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of MoO3. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, nomad

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for MoO3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pc (No. 7)monoclinic1.830.0000-8.3474.42
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic1.370.0001-8.3474.48
P1 (No. 1)triclinic1.820.0100-8.3374.18
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic1.950.0276-8.3194.66
P21/m (No. 11)monoclinic1.680.0279-8.3194.68
Cmcm (No. 63)orthorhombic0.610.0530-8.2944.71
Pc (No. 7)monoclinic0.770.0595-8.2883.28
Pc (No. 7)monoclinic0.730.0596-8.2873.91
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.540.1062-8.2414.74
P1 (No. 1)triclinic1.650.1549-8.1923.04
Pc (No. 7)monoclinic0.970.4927-7.8544.37
P1 (No. 1)triclinic1.230.5260-7.8213.07
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting MoO3.

Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses

Applications

Where Molybdenum trioxide is used.

Lithium-ion battery anodesElectrochromic devicesGas sensorsCatalysisSupercapacitors
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Molybdenum trioxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is MoO3?

Molybdenum trioxide is a stable, semiconducting metal oxide used primarily as an electrode material in advanced energy storage devices.

More questions
What is MoO3 used for?
Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) is used in lithium-ion battery anodes, electrochromic devices, gas sensors, catalysis, and supercapacitors.
What is the band gap of MoO3?
Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.52–1.95 eV across 237 reported structures.
Is MoO3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 1.95 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is MoO3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of MoO3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) is monoclinic symmetry, space group Pc (No. 7).
What is the density of MoO3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) is 4.42 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of MoO3 are known?
237 structures of MoO3 are reported across 5 databases, spanning 37 distinct space groups.
How is MoO3 synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for MoO3 include sol-gel.
What elements does MoO3 contain?
Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) contains Mo and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for MoO3 come from?
MoO3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, cod, nomad.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the conversion oxide anodes class.

Within the family of conversion oxide anodes, MoO3 stands out for its structural complexity compared to simpler binary oxides like CuO or Fe2O3. While materials such as MnO2 and Co3O4 are frequently studied for their specific redox behaviors, MoO3 offers a distinct pathway for lithium and sodium storage due to its layered architecture, which facilitates different intercalation and conversion mechanisms than those observed in the more densely packed spinel or rock-salt structures of CoO or Fe3O4.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Conversion Oxide Anodes in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database. Cite: Grazulis et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 40, D420 (2012).
  • nomad — Data from NOMAD. Cite: Draxl & Scheffler, J. Phys. Mater. 2, 036001 (2019).

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