Facile synthesis of mesoporous Ge/C nanocomposite as anode material for lithium-ion battery

A facile strategy is reported for the synthesis of mesoporous Ge/C nanocomposite material by using ordered mesoporous carbon as a matrix material and tetraethoxygermane (TEOG) as a germanium precursor. TEOG was impregnated into the pore space of porous carbon matrix and in situ converted to GeO 2 under the help of the moisture in the air. Then the GeO 2 /C intermediate was reduced to Ge/C nanocomposite by H 2 treatment at 500 °C. This synthesis procedure does not involve the using of glove box or electrochemical cell, making it can be easily scaled up. The synthesized mesoporous Ge/C nanocomposite material displays good electrochemical properties with high reversible capacity (736 mAh/g) and stable cycle performance. The results indicate that the mesoporous Ge/C nanocomposite material can be a promising candidate for electrode material in lithium ion batteries.