Microporous Carbon Nanoparticles for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Rechargeable lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) are emerging as some of the most promising next-generation battery alternatives to state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high gravimetric energy density, being inexpensive, and having an abundance of elemental sulfur (S<sub>8<...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hui-Ju Kang, Gazi A. K. M. Rafiqul Bari, Tae-Gyu Lee, Tamal Tahsin Khan, Jae-Woo Park, Hyun Jin Hwang, Sung Yong Cho, Young-Si Jun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
Series:Nanomaterials
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/10/2012
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Summary:Rechargeable lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) are emerging as some of the most promising next-generation battery alternatives to state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high gravimetric energy density, being inexpensive, and having an abundance of elemental sulfur (S<sub>8</sub>). However, one main, well-known drawback of LSBs is the so-called polysulfide shuttling, where the polysulfide dissolves into organic electrolytes from sulfur host materials. Numerous studies have shown the ability of porous carbon as a sulfur host material. Porous carbon can significantly impede polysulfide shuttling and mitigate the insulating passivation layers, such as Li<sub>2</sub>S, owing to its intrinsic high electrical conductivity. This work suggests a scalable and straightforward one-step synthesis method to prepare a unique interconnected microporous and mesoporous carbon framework via salt templating with a eutectic mixture of LiI and KI at 800 °C in an inert atmosphere. The synthesis step used environmentally friendly water as a washing solvent to remove salt from the carbon–salt mixture. When employed as a sulfur host material, the electrode exhibited an excellent capacity of 780 mAh g<sup>−1</sup> at 500 mA g<sup>−1</sup> and a sulfur loading mass of 2 mg cm<sup>−2</sup> with a minor capacity loss of 0.36% per cycle for 100 cycles. This synthesis method of a unique porous carbon structure could provide a new avenue for the development of an electrode with a high retention capacity and high accommodated sulfur for electrochemical energy storage applications.
ISSN:2079-4991