Promoting Ge Alloying Reaction via Heterostructure Engineering for High Efficient and Ultra-Stable Sodium-Ion Storage.

Germanium (Ge)-based materials have been considered as potential anode materials for sodium-ion batteries owing to their high theoretical specific capacity. However, the poor conductivity and Na diffusivity of Ge-based materials result in retardant ion/electron transportation and insufficient sodium storage efficiency, leading to sluggish reaction kinetics. To intrinsically maximize the sodium storage capability of Ge, the nitrogen doped carbon-coated CuGe/Ge heterostructure material (CuGe/Ge@N-C) is developed for enhanced sodium storage.