Electrolytic Formation of Crystalline Silicon/Germanium Alloy Nanotubes and Hollow Particles with Enhanced Lithium-Storage Properties

Crystalline silicon(Si)/germanium(Ge) alloy nanotubes and hollow particles are synthesized for the first time through a one-pot electrolytic process. The morphology of these alloy structures can be easily tailored from nanotubes to hollow particles by varying the overpotential during the electro-reduction reaction. The continuous solid diffusion governed by the nanoscale Kirkendall effect results in the formation of inner void in the alloy particles. Benefitting from the compositional and structural advantages, these SiGe alloy nanotubes exhibit much enhanced lithium-storage performance compared with the individual solid Si and Ge nanowires as the anode material for lithium-ion batteries.