A Facile Method to In-Situ Synthesize Porous Ni2GeO4 Nano-Sheets on Nickel Foam as Advanced Anode Electrodes for Li-Ion Batteries

A strategy for growth of porous Ni₂GeO₄ nanosheets on conductive nickel (Ni) foam with robust adhesion as a high-performance electrode for Li-ion batteries is proposed and realized, through a facile two-step method. It involves the low temperature hydro-thermal synthesis of bimetallic (Ni, Ge) hydroxide nanosheets precursor on Ni foam substrates and subsequent thermal transformation to porous Ni₂GeO₄ nanosheets. The as-prepared Ni₂GeO₄ nanosheets possess many interparticle mesopores with a size range from 5 to 15 nm. The hierarchical structure of porous Ni₂GeO₄ nanosheets supported by Ni foam promises fast electron and ion transport, large electroactive surface area, and excellent structural stability. The efficacy of the specially designed structure is demonstrated by the superior electrochemical performance of the generated Ni₂GeO₄ nanosheets including a high capacity of 1.8 mA·h·cm-2 at a current density of 50 μA·cm-2, good cycle stability, and high power capability at room temperature. Because of simple conditions, this fabrication strategy may be easily extended to other mixed metal oxides (MxGeOy).