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Title: Rational Design of Statically and Dynamically Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with High Sulfur Loading and Low Electrolyte/Sulfur Ratio

Journal Article · · Advanced Materials

Abstract The primary challenge with lithium–sulfur battery research is the design of sulfur cathodes that exhibit high electrochemical efficiency and stability while keeping the sulfur content and loading high and the electrolyte/sulfur ratio low. With a systematic investigation, a novel graphene/cotton‐carbon cathode is presented here that enables sulfur loading and content as high as 46 mg cm −2 and 70 wt% with an electrolyte/sulfur ratio of as low as only 5. The graphene/cotton‐carbon cathodes deliver peak capacities of 926 and 765 mA h g −1 , respectively, at C/10 and C/5 rates, which translate into high areal, gravimetric, and volumetric capacities of, respectively, 43 and 35 mA h cm −2 , 648 and 536 mA h g −1 , and 1067 and 881 mA h cm −3 with a stable cyclability. They also exhibit superior cell‐storage capability with 95% capacity‐retention, a low self‐discharge constant of just 0.0012 per day, and stable poststorage cyclability after storing over a long period of six months. This work demonstrates a viable approach to develop lithium–sulfur batteries with practical energy densities exceeding that of lithium‐ion batteries.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0007218; DE‐EE0007218
OSTI ID:
1488238
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1414806
Journal Information:
Advanced Materials, Vol. 30, Issue 6; ISSN 0935-9648
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 151 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (35)

Synergistic Regulation of Polysulfides Conversion and Deposition by MOF‐Derived Hierarchically Ordered Carbonaceous Composite for High‐Energy Lithium–Sulfur Batteries journal March 2019
Conductive CoOOH as Carbon‐Free Sulfur Immobilizer to Fabricate Sulfur‐Based Composite for Lithium–Sulfur Battery journal April 2019
A Lithium-Sulfur Battery using a 2D Current Collector Architecture with a Large-Sized Sulfur Host Operated under High Areal Loading and Low E/S Ratio journal October 2018
A Facile, Low-Cost Hot-Pressing Process for Fabricating Lithium-Sulfur Cells with Stable Dynamic and Static Electrochemistry journal October 2018
Current Status and Future Prospects of Metal–Sulfur Batteries journal May 2019
A Nacre-Like Carbon Nanotube Sheet for High Performance Li-Polysulfide Batteries with High Sulfur Loading journal April 2018
Porphyrin-Derived Graphene-Based Nanosheets Enabling Strong Polysulfide Chemisorption and Rapid Kinetics in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal April 2018
Rational Design of a Dual-Function Hybrid Cathode Substrate for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal June 2018
A Lithium-Sulfur Cell Based on Reversible Lithium Deposition from a Li 2 S Cathode Host onto a Hostless-Anode Substrate journal July 2018
NiCo 2 O 4 Nanofibers as Carbon‐Free Sulfur Immobilizer to Fabricate Sulfur‐Based Composite with High Volumetric Capacity for Lithium–Sulfur Battery journal January 2019
MoN Supported on Graphene as a Bifunctional Interlayer for Advanced Li‐S Batteries journal November 2019
ZnS coating of cathode facilitates lean‐electrolyte Li‐S batteries journal October 2019
Group IV Monochalcogenides MX (M=Ge, Sn; X=S, Se) as Chemical Anchors of Polysulfides for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal July 2018
A Perspective on Energy Densities of Rechargeable Li-S Batteries and Alternative Sulfur-Based Cathode Materials journal March 2018
Nonuniform Redistribution of Sulfur and Lithium upon Cycling: Probing the Origin of Capacity Fading in Lithium–Sulfur Pouch Cells journal April 2019
Polysulfide Shuttle Suppression by Electrolytes with Low‐Density for High‐Energy Lithium–Sulfur Batteries journal May 2019
Expediting redox kinetics of sulfur species by atomic‐scale electrocatalysts in lithium–sulfur batteries journal October 2019
Greatly Improved Conductivity of Double-Chain Polymer Network Binder for High Sulfur Loading Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with a Low Electrolyte/Sulfur Ratio journal July 2018
Polyethylenimine Expanded Graphite Oxide Enables High Sulfur Loading and Long‐Term Stability of Lithium–Sulfur Batteries journal January 2019
Dual‐Function, Tunable, Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon for High‐Performance Li Metal–Sulfur Full Cell journal January 2019
Structural Design of Lithium–Sulfur Batteries: From Fundamental Research to Practical Application journal June 2018
Intercalation-conversion hybrid cathodes enabling Li–S full-cell architectures with jointly superior gravimetric and volumetric energy densities journal March 2019
Bridging the academic and industrial metrics for next-generation practical batteries journal February 2019
The fabrication of a 3D current collector with bitter melon-like TiO 2 –NCNFs for highly stable lithium–sulfur batteries journal January 2019
Graphene-based Fe-coordinated framework porphyrin as an interlayer for lithium–sulfur batteries journal January 2019
A lightweight and binder-free electrode enabled by lignin fibers@carbon-nanotubes and graphene for ultrastable lithium–sulfur batteries journal January 2018
Rational design of two-dimensional nanomaterials for lithium–sulfur batteries journal January 2020
A sustainable sulfur–carbonaceous composite electrode toward high specific energy rechargeable cells journal January 2020
Revisiting the positive roles of liquid polysulfides in alkali metal–sulfur electrochemistry: from electrolyte additives to active catholyte journal January 2019
A Li–urine battery based on organic/aqueous hybrid electrolytes journal January 2019
Stabilization of Li–S batteries with a lean electrolyte via ion-exchange trapping of lithium polysulfides using a cationic, polybenzimidazolium binder journal January 2020
Akin solid–solid biphasic conversion of a Li–S battery achieved by coordinated carbonate electrolytes journal January 2019
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Self-Discharge Behavior of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries at Different Electrolyte/Sulfur Ratios journal January 2019
Brush-structured sulfur–polyaniline–graphene composite as cathodes for lithium–sulfur batteries journal November 2019