Molybdenum phosphide (MoP) has attracted extensive attention as promising anode candidates for lithium-ion batteries owing to its high specific capacity, low potential range and low polarization. However, severe volume changes and intrinsic low conductivity are major challenges for further application of MoP electrode materials. In this work, a coral-like MoP microsphere encapsulated by N-doped carbon (MoP@NDC) was successfully prepared through annealing the precursor derived from self-polymerization of dopamine with phosphomolybdic acid. The introduction of carbon framework not only serves as matrix to confine MoP nanocrystals from aggregations, but also improves the electrochemical conductivity and facilitates lithium ion or electron transport on the surface of MoP. Such hierarchical structure delivered high discharge capacity of 495 mAh g⁻¹ after 300 cycles with 90.1% capacity retention, which could be attributed to the synergistic effects of MoP nanoparticles and conductive carbon network. This design strategy shows MoP@NDC electrode with applicable application as anode in lithium-ion battery.

磷化钼（MoP）由于其高比容量，低电势范围和低极化性，成为锂离子电池的有希望的负极候选材料，引起了广泛的关注。然而，严重的体积变化和固有的低导电性是进一步应用MoP电极材料的主要挑战。在这项工作中，通过对多巴胺与磷钼酸自聚合的前体进行退火，成功地制备了由N掺杂碳（MoP @ NDC）包裹的珊瑚状MoP微球。碳骨架的引入不仅可以作为基质，以限制聚集的MoP纳米晶体，而且可以提高电化学电导率，并促进MoP表面的锂离子或电子传输。这种分层结构提供了495 mAh g的高放电容量300次循环后^-1，容量保持率为90.1％，这可以归因于MoP纳米颗粒和导电碳网络的协同效应。该设计策略展示了MoP @ NDC电极作为锂离子电池阳极的适用性。