Rapid thermal deposited GeSe nanowires as a promising anode material for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries.

It is important to develop a simple, facile and environmentally friendly strategy for improving the properties of materials in various energy storage systems. Herein, a binder-free anode based on self-assembled nanowires structures with GeSe particles is formed through a rapid box thermal deposition and first reported as an advanced anode for lithium/sodium-ion batteries. For LIBs, it delivers an excellent energy storage performance with high specific capacity (815.49 mAh g at 200 mA g after 300 cycles), superior rate capability (578.49 mAh g for 10 cycles at 4000 mA g) and outstanding cycling stability (87.78% of capacity retention after 300 cycles). It even shows a high reversible capacity of 359.5 mAh g at 500 mA g after 2000 cycles. For SIBs, it shows good cycling stability (433.4 mAh g at 200 mA g after 50 cycles with 85.3% capacity retention) and rate performance (299.7 mAh g for 10 cycles at 1000 mA g). In this electrode, GeSe nanowires (GeSe-NWs) consist of nanoparticles with voids between them that shorten the diffusion length for lithium/sodium ions and electrons and buffer the volumetric variation during the lithium/sodium ion insertion/extraction process. In addition, the introduction of Ni foam frameworks enhances the electrical conductivity of the electrode and retains the structural integrity upon cycling. This approach provides a new perspective for investigating and synthesizing various novel and suitable materials for energy storage fields.