Capillary-Induced Ge Uniformly Distributed in N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes with Enhanced Li-Storage Performance.

Germanium (Ge) is a prospective anode material for lithium-ion batteries, as it possesses large theoretical capacity, outstanding lithium-ion diffusivity, and excellent electrical conductivity. Ge suffers from drastic capacity decay and poor rate performance, however, owing to its low electrical conductivity and huge volume expansion during cycling processes. Herein, a novel strategy has been developed to synthesize a Ge@N-doped carbon nanotubes (Ge@N-CNTs) composite with Ge nanoparticles uniformly distributed in the N-CNTs by using capillary action. This unique structure could effectively buffer large volume expansion. When evaluated as an anode material, the Ge@N-CNTs demonstrate enhanced cycling stability and excellent rate capabilities.