Synthesis of Ag decoration on carbon coated Zn2GeO4 nanorods and its enhanced properties as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

• Zn2GeO4–C–Ag nanorods were successfully synthesized.
• The Zn2GeO4–C–Ag material was first used as anode materials for LIBs.
• The Zn2GeO4–C–Ag demonstrated a capacity of 561 mA h g−1 after 50 cycles.

In this work, we first report a synthesis of Zn2GeO4–C–Ag nanorods through a simple dip/redox process followed by a thermal treatment. With the carbon buffer layer accommodated the volume change and the Ag nanoparticles enhanced the overall conductivity, the Zn2GeO4–C–Ag nanorods demonstrated an improved cycle stability with higher capability compared to that of the as-prepared Zn2GeO4 and Zn2GeO4–C nanorods. In addition, this synthetic method might be utilized to synthesize other Ge-based materials combined with carbon as well as metal decoration for energy storage.