One-Step Grown Carbonaceous Germanium Nanowires and Their Application as Highly Efficient Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes

Abstract

Developing a simple, cheap, and scalable synthetic method for the fabrication of functional nanomaterials is crucial. Carbon-based nanowire nanocomposites could play a key role in integrating group IV semiconducting nanomaterials as anodes into Li-ion batteries. Here, we report a very simple, one-pot solvothermal-like growth of carbonaceous germanium (C-Ge) nanowires in a supercritical solvent. C-Ge nanowires are grown just by heating (380–490 °C) a commercially sourced Ge precursor, diphenylgermane (DPG), in supercritical toluene, without any external catalysts or surfactants. The self-seeded nanowires are highly crystalline and very thin, with an average diameter between 11 and 19 nm. The amorphous carbonaceous layer coating on Ge nanowires is formed from the polymerization and condensation of light carbon compounds generated from the decomposition of DPG during the growth process. These carbonaceous Ge nanowires demonstrate impressive electrochemical performance as an anode material for Li-ion batteries with high specific charge values (>1200 mAh g –1 after 500 cycles), greater than most of the previously reported for other “binder-free” Ge nanowire anode materials, and exceptionally stable capacity retention. The high specific charge values and impressively stable capacity are due to the unique morphology and composition of the nanowires.

Solution processable Si/Ge heterostructure NWs enabling anode mass reduction for practical full-cell Li-ion batteries

“…The dQ/dV plot aer 25 th and 50 th cycle shows lithiation peaks at J (0.46 V), K (0.29 V), M (0.14 V) which corresponds to Ge lithiation and L (0.24 V), N (0.04 V) corresponds to lithiation of Si. [62][63][64][65] The major delithiation peak at 0.30 V (O) and 0.51 V (P) corresponded to the delithiation of Si and Ge respectively. The dQ/dV plots of pure Si NWs (Fig.…”

Lithium‐based batteries, history, current status, challenges, and future perspectives

“…And the second involves developing composite materials composed of active lithium and inert materials that form a conductive buffer between the lithium source and the alloying materials 163 . Critically, alloy materials display a variety of nanometer scale morphologies like nanotubes and nanowires that promote higher capacities longer life cycles 165,166 …”

“…163 Critically, alloy materials display a variety of nanometer scale morphologies like nanotubes and nanowires that promote higher capacities longer life cycles. 165,166 Silicon (Si) and silicon oxides (SiO x ) Notably, Si has attracted considerable interest in recent years due to its advantageous properties that make it an attractive alloy material for anodes. These properties include: (1) An extremely high gravimetric capacity (4200 mA h g −1 for Li 22 Si 5 ); (2) large volumetric capacity (9786 mA h cm −3 ); (3) its discharge potential is close to graphite (0.4 V vs. Li/Li + ); (4) chemical stability; (5) low cost due to its abundance (25.7% of earth's crust); and (6) its eco-friendly nature due to its nontoxicity.…”

Synthesis of nickel nanowires (Ni-NWs) as high ferromagnetic material by electrodeposition technique

“…In this era of nanotechnology, the nanowires (NWs) and their nanostructured compounds (NSC) have attained enormous attraction because of their distinctive physical and chemical properties. Nanowires with unique nanostructures are studied as one of the promising alternative electrode materials for next generation electrochemical energy devices [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. The chemical and physical properties of NWs have frequently dominated by their structural behavior like crystallite size and lattice parameters etc and surface morphology like grain size, shape, and distribution of nanoparticles [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”