Highly Stable Mesoporous Ge@C Sphere Anodes for Lithium-ion Batteries

The Mesoporous Ge@C sphere has been designed via a modified Stober method and an in-situ solution deposition. Compared with the pure Ge nanoparticles, the as-synthesized Mesoporous Ge@C sphere nanocomposites show much better cycling stability and rate capability. That as-prepared anode material can maintain a reversible capacity of 708.8mAhg(-1) after 200 cycles at a rate of 0.2C, and even at 5C, it also exhibits a high discharge capacity of similar to 522.4mAhg(-1). The superior comprehensive electrochemical performance of the electrode is ascribed to the synergic effects of the porous structure and hollow carbon sphere, which can effectively alleviate the structural strain and suppress large volume changes, additionally, can reduce electrolyte diffusion path length beneficial to allow rapid electron transportation and let more Li+ flux across the interface.