Germanium-based nanostructures are receiving intense interest in lithium-ion batteries because they have ultrahigh lithium ion storage ability. However, the Germanium-based anodes undergo the considerably large volume change during the charge/discharge processes, leading to a fast capacity fade. In the present work, a Ge/GeO2-ordered mesoporous carbon (Ge/GeO2-OMC) nanocomposite was successfully fabricated via a facile nanocasting route by using mesoporous carbon as a nanoreactor, and was then used as an anode for lithium-ion batteries. Benefited from its unique three-dimensional "meso-nano" structure, the Ge/GeO2-OMC nanocomposite exhibited large reversible capacity, excellent long-time cycling stability and high rate performance. For instance, a large reversible capacity of 1018 mA h g(-1) was obtained after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A g(-1), which might be attributed to the unique structure of the Ge/GeO2-OMC nanocomposite. In addition, a reversible capacity of 492 mA h g(-1) can be retained when cycled to 500 cycles at a current density of 1 A g(-1).
Keywords: Ge/GeO2−OMC; lithium-ion batteries; long cycle life; nanocomposite; nanoreactor.