Ge–Cu nanoparticles produced by inert gas condensation and their application as anode material for lithium ion batteries

•Ge–Cu nanoparticles were produced by a one-step inert gas condensation method•The as-prepared Ge–Cu composite has a uniform elemental and particle size distribution•The as-prepared Ge–Cu composite shows a high reversible capacity and a good cycling stability

We present an anode material consisting of Ge–Cu nanoparticles (Ge–Cu NPs) which were fabricated by a one-step inert gas condensation method. The Ge–Cu NPs consisting of amorphous Ge and orthorhombic Cu3Ge phase were found to have good performance during the lithiation/delithiation process. Reversible discharge capacities were determined of 843, 773, 680, 516 mAh g− 1 at 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 2 C, respectively, with a Coulombic efficiency higher than 96%.