We demonstrate that dodecanethiol monolayer passivation can significantly enhance the anode performance of germanium (Ge) nanowires in
lithium-ion batteries. The dodecanethiol-passivated Ge nanowires exhibit an excellent electrochemical performance with a reversible specific capacity of 1130 mAh/g at 0.1 C rate after 100 cycles. The functiona
lized Ge nanowires show high-rate capabi
lity having charge and discharge capacities of 555 mAh/g at high rates of 11 C. The functiona
lized Ge nanowires also performed well at 55 掳C, showing their thermal stabi
lity at high working temperatures. Moreover, full cells using a LiFePO
4 cathode were assembled and the electrodes still have stable capacity retention. An aluminum pouch type
lithium cell was also assembled to provide larger current (30 mA) for uses on
light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) and audio devices. Investigation of the role of organic monolayer coating showed that the wires formed a robust nanowire/PVDF network through strong C鈥揊 bonding so as to maintain structure integrity during the
lithiation/de
lithiation process. Organic monolayer-coated Ge nanowires represent promising Ge鈥揅 anodes with controllable low carbon content (
ca. 2鈥? wt %) for high capacity, high-rate
lithium-ion batteries and are readily compatible with the commercial slurry-coating process for cell fabrication.
Keywords:
germanium; nanowires; dodecanethiol; surface passivation; lithium%5C-ion+battery&qsSearchArea=searchText">lithium-ion battery
