Exfoliation and Reassembly Routes to a Ge/RuO Nanocomposite as an Anode for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Ge/RuO nanocomposites were successfully fabricated as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries using RuO nanosheets and Ge/GeO nanoparticles (NPs). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analyses showed that elemental Ge nanoparticles were distributed onto the rutile-type RuO. Transmission electron microscopy images showed well-dispersed Ge nanoparticles embedded in rutile-type RuO. The Ge/RuO nanocomposite maintained higher discharge capacities (471 mA h g) after the 90th cycle at 0.1 A g than that (211 mA h g) of Ge/GeO nanoparticles. The Ge/RuO nanocomposite exhibited a higher capacity retention than Ge/GeO NPs. These results suggest that the well-dispersed Ge nanoparticles within RuO matrices enhance the cycle stability and capacity retention of the anode material.