In Situ Growth of Rapid Ion Diffusion Facet-Exposed GeP Nanobars for High-Performance Flexible Li/Na-Ion Batteries

The development of high-performance flexible energy storagedeviceshas attracted blooming attention. However, the dilemma of simultaneouslyachieving a high and stable energy output and excellent mechanicalflexibility remains a great challenge. Herein, we report an innovativevacuum melting-vapor deposition method and fabricate a highmass loading electrode of an in situ grown GeP nanobar array on carboncloth (GeP NBAs/CC) for flexible lithium/sodium ion batteries ((LIBs/SIBs)for the first time. The vacuum melting treatment ensures uniform anddensely loading of Ge nucleation hence inducing homogeneous verticalgrowth of high mass loading GeP nanobar arrays (6.20 mg cm(-2)). The rapid ion diffusion facet-exposed nanobar tightly supportedon the CC not only guarantees fast electron transfer, sufficient electrolyteinfiltration, and facilitated ion diffusion but also effectively alleviatesthe volume change and aggregation of GeP during cycling. These charmadvantages render flexible GeP NBAs/CC electrode with excellent electrochemicalperformance in both LIBs (delivers 1521 mAh g(-1) at50 mA g(-1)) and SIBs (511 mAh g(-1) is achieved at 100 mA g(-1) after 300 cycles) underdifferent deformation conditions. The thrilling performance providesa new road map for constructing high-performance flexible energy storagedevices for practical applications.

Automated summary

In this study, a high mass loading electrode of an in situ grown GeP nanobar array on carbon cloth was fabricated for flexible lithium/sodium ion batteries using an innovative vacuum melting-vapor deposition method. The electrode exhibited excellent electrochemical performance, with high ion diffusion, fast electron transfer, and sufficient electrolyte infiltration, as well as effectively alleviating the volume change and aggregation of GeP during cycling.