Ge Nanoparticles in MXene Sheets: One-step Synthesis and Highly Improved Electrochemical Property in Lithium-ion Batteries

Abstract

Ge nanoparticles were synthesized uniformly on MXene sheets via a one-step chemical solution method. Morphology of Ge/MXene was characterized by SEM and TEM. Formation process and optimized synthesis condition was analyzed carefully. Ge/MXene was used as anode for lithium-ion batteries. Their electrochemical performances, including capacity, rate and cycling stability, were tested and evaluated. Ge/MXene exhibited a greatly improved capacity of 1200 mAh/g during the first hundred cycles at 0.2C with a loading of 1 mg/cm2. A capacity of 450 mAh/g at a higher loading of 2 mg/cm2 was obtained after 100 cycles. The excellence in electrochemistry is attributed to the high conductivity of MXene and its accommodable interlayer space.