It is important to develop a simple, facile and environmentally friendly strategy for improving the properties of materials in various energy storage systems. Herein, a binder-free anode based on self-assembled nanowires structures with GeSe particles is formed through a rapid box thermal deposition and first reported as an advanced anode for lithium/sodium-ion batteries. For LIBs, it delivers an excellent energy storage performance with high specific capacity (similar to 815.49 mAh g(-1) at 200 mA g(-1) after 300 cycles), superior rate capability (similar to 578.49 mAh g(-1) for 10 cycles at 4000 mA g(-1)) and outstanding cycling stability (87.78% of capacity retention after 300 cycles). It even shows a high reversible capacity of 359.5 mAh g(-1) at 500 mA g(-1) after 2000 cycles. For SIBS, it shows good cycling stability (similar to 433.4 mAh g(-1) at 200 mA g(-1) after 50 cycles with similar to 85.3% capacity retention) and rate performance (similar to 299.7 mAh g(-1) for 10 cycles at 1000 mA g(-1)). In this electrode, GeSe nanowires (GeSe-NWs) consist of nanoparticles with voids between them that shorten the diffusion length for lithium/sodium ions and electrons and buffer the volumetric variation during the lithium/sodium ion insertion/extraction process. In addition, the introduction of Ni foam frameworks enhances the electrical conductivity of the electrode and retains the structural integrity upon cycling. This approach provides a new perspective for investigating and synthesizing various novel and suitable materials for energy storage fields. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.