Tailoring Surface Acidity of Metal Oxide for Better Polysulfide Entrapment in Li‐S Batteries

Journal Article · Wed Aug 03 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Advanced Functional Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201602264· OSTI ID:1400780

Wang, Xiwen ^[1]; Gao, Tao ^[2]; Fan, Xiulin ^[2]; Han, Fudong ^[2]; Wu, Yiqing ^[2]; Zhang, Zhian ^[3]; Li, Jie ^[3]; Wang, Chunsheng ^[2]

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1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of Maryland College Park MD 20742 USA, School of Metallurgy and Environment Central South University Changsha 410083 China
2. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of Maryland College Park MD 20742 USA
3. School of Metallurgy and Environment Central South University Changsha 410083 China

The polysulfide shuttle reaction has severely limited practical applications of Li‐S batteries. Recently, functional materials that can chemically adsorb polysulfide show significant enhancement in cycling stability and Coulombic efficiency. However, the mechanism of the chemisorption and the control factors governing the chemisorption are still not fully understood. Here, it is demonstrated for the first time that the surface acidity of the host material plays a crucial role in the chemisorption of polysulfide. By tailoring the surface acidity of TiO ₂ via heteroatom doping, the polysulfide‐TiO ₂ interaction can be fortified and thus significantly the capacity fading be reduced to 0.04% per cycle. The discovery presented here sheds light on the mechanism of this interfacial phenomenon, and opens a new avenue that can lead to a practical sulfur/host composite cathode.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 1400780
• Journal Information: Advanced Functional Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Functional Materials Vol. 26 Journal Issue: 39; ISSN 1616-301X
• Publisher: Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
• Country of Publication: Germany
• Language: English