High Rate Performance of Aerosol-deposited Mg₂Ge Alloy Anode in Lithium Batteries

Abstract

In order to check the high rate performance of the Mg₂Ge alloy in lithium batteries, the Mg₂Ge anodes were prepared as thick films with different areas and/or thickness on copper foil substrates using an aerosol deposition method. A sample film with ca. φ 10 and a weight of 0.1 mg was generally obtained by one-shot deposit in our present equipment, which could be made wider or thicker by multiple shots. From the charge/discharge experiments with the current of more than 1 A g⁻¹, the deposited films were found to work as anode active materials under high rate charge/discharge conditions for lithium secondary batteries, although we had some misgivings about capacity decay in case making films extremely thick. These results denoted that the Mg₂Ge anode prepared by the aerosol-deposition method is valuable for development of a secondary battery with high energy and power densities.