A novel synthesis of GeO2/Ge composite as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Germanium (Ge) is a potential anode material in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its ultrahigh theoretical capacity (1623 mAh·g−1). However, Ge-based anodes suffer from huge volume variation during lithium insertion/extraction, leading to fast capacity fading. In this study, the GeO2/Ge composite was synthesized by facile reducing GeO2 by magnesium and utilized as an anode material for LIBs. As a result, the obtained GeO2/Ge composite exhibits significantly improved cycling stability and specific capacity compared to the pure Ge. The enhanced electrochemical performance can be derived from the impact of the GeO2 on reducing volume change during cycling.