Electrochemical performances of nanorod structured Si1−xGex anodes

Nanorod structured Si1−xGex anodes have been prepared by depositing Si1−xGex coatings onto the electrodeposited Ni nanocone arrays for high capacity Li-ion batteries. The obtained samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical performance was evaluated by a galvanostatic battery testing. It is found that Si1−xGex nanorod displays obvious improved electrochemical performance compared to the pristine film anode. The increase of the Ge content for the Si1−xGex anode can improve the capacity retention greatly while retain a rather high capacity. For Si0.71Ge0.29 anode, the charge capacity remains 841 mA h/g after 101 cycles, surpassing the Si anode of 662 mA h/g.