Controllable preparation of Ge/Cu composite porous microspheres as high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Germanium (Ge) has great advantages as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, but its application in the anode of lithium-ion batteries is limited by its volume expansion and poor electrical conductivity. Currently, nano-Ge and composite Ge are the main research directions. Using Ge/copper (Cu) alloy as raw material, herein, pulse discharge and chemical etching method are adopted to prepare a kind of Ge/Cu composite porous microsphere (Ge/Cu@PMS). A 3D conductive network structure is obtained to increase the conductivity of Ge and alleviate the volume expansion of lithium-ion battery during charge and discharge. As an anode material for Li-ion batteries, Ge/Cu@PMS has a capacity retention rate reaching 590 mAh g${}^{-1}$ after 200 constant current charge-discharge cycles at a current density of 800 mA g${}^{-1}$, with a capacity retention rate of 79.1%. Therefore, Ge/Cu@PMS has great potential application in lithium energy storage-related technologies due to its excellent energy-storage performance and ease of preparation. (© 2022 Wiley‐VCH GmbH)