First-Principles Dynamics Investigation of Germanium as an Anode Material in Multivalent-Ion Batteries

Germanium, a promising electrode material for high-capacity lithium ion batteries (LIBs) anodes, attracted much attention because of its large capacity and remarkably fast charge/discharge kinetics. Multivalent-ion batteries are of interest as potential alternatives to LIBs because they have a higher energy density and are less prone to safety hazards. In this study, we probed the potential of amorphous Ge anodes for use in multivalent-ion batteries. Although alloying Al and Zn in Ge anodes is thermodynamically unstable, Mg and Ca alloys with Ge form stable compounds, Mg2.3Ge and Ca2.4Ge that exhibit higher capacities than those obtained by alloying Li, Na, or K with Ge, corresponding to 1697 and 1771 mA·h·g–1, respectively. Despite having a slightly lower capacity than Ca–Ge, Mg–Ge shows an approximately 150% smaller volume expansion ratio (231% vs. 389%) and three orders of magnitude higher ion diffusivity (3.0 × 10−8 vs. 1.1 × 10−11 cm2 s−1) than Ca–Ge. Furthermore, ion diffusion in Mg–Ge occurs at a rate comparable to that of monovalent ions, such as Li+, Na+, and K+. The outstanding performance of the Mg–Ge system may originate from the coordination number of the Ge host atoms and the smaller atomic size of Mg. Therefore, Ge anodes could be applied in multivalent-ion batteries using Mg2+ as the carrier ion because its properties can compete with or surpass monovalent ions. Here, we report that the maximum capacity, volume expansion ratio, and ion diffusivities of the alloying electrode materials can be understood using atomic-scale structural properties, such as the host–host and host–ion coordination numbers, as valuable indicators.