Angewandte Chemie | 2021
Tunable Hollow Nanoreactors for In-situ Synthesis of GeP Electrode towards High Performance Sodium Ion Battery.
Abstract
The practical application of germanium phosphide (GeP)\xa0in battery systems is seriously impeded referring to the sluggish reaction kinetics and severe volume change. Nanostructure design that elaborately resolves the above issues is highly\xa0desired but still remains a big challenge. Herein, unique hollow nanoreactors assembled with nitrogen-doped carbon networks for in-situ synthesis of the GeP electrode are proposed for the first time. Such nanoreactors form a self-supported conductive network, ensuring sufficient electrolyte infiltration and fast electron transport. Moreover, they restrain the crystal growth and accommodate the volume expansion of GeP simultaneously. Reaction kinetics and confinement effect are further optimized through nanoreactors size regulation.\xa0These synergistic effects endow the optimized GeP electrode with high reversible capacities, outstanding cyclability and rate performance for sodium storage, outperforming most previously reported phosphides. This work highlights a highly effective and facile approach that advances the performance of GeP closer towards practical applications for energy storage.