We present Si nanotubes prepared by reductive decomposition of a silicon precursor in an alumina template and etching. These nanotubes show impressive results, which shows very high reversible charge capacity of 3247 mA h/g with Coulombic efficiency of 89%, and also demonstrate superior capacity retention even at 5C rate (=15 A/g). Furthermore, the capacity in a Li-ion full cell consisting of a cathode of LiCoO2 and anode of Si nanotubes demonstrates a 10 times higher capacity than commercially available graphite even after 200 cycles.

Simple physical blending of SiO2 and ethyl‐capped Ge gels leads to flexible dimensional control of Ge nanoparticles, and an increasing weight fraction of the latter leads to ordered 3D porous nanoparticle assemblies (see figure). The long‐range ordering of the 3D porous Ge nanoparticles and their very thin pore wall thicknesses (<20 nm) induce excellent cycling performance, showing only a 2% capacity decrease after 100 cycles.

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