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High capacity of lithium-sulfur batteries at low electrolyte/sulfur ratio enabled by an organosulfide containing electrolyte

Journal Article · · Nano Energy
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States); Pennsylvania State University
  2. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
We present that lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is a promising energy storage technology to replace lithium ion batteries for higher energy density and lower cost. Dissolution of lithium polysulfide intermediates in conventional Li-S electrolytes is known as one of the key technical barriers to the development of Li-S, because it promotes redistribution and irreversible deposition of Li2S, and also forces large amounts of electrolyte to be used, shortening cycling life and driving down cell energy density. Recently, dimethyl disulfide as a functional co-solvent has been demonstrated to show an alternate electrochemical reaction pathway for sulfur cathodes by the formation of dimethyl polysulfides and lithium organosulfides as intermediates and reduction products. In this work, comprehensive studies show that this new pathway not only provides high capacity but also enables excellent capacity retention through a built-in automatic discharge shutoff mechanism by tuning carbon/sulfur ratio in sulfur cathodes to reduce unfavorable Li2S formation. Furthermore, this new electrolyte system is also found to enable high capacity of high-sulfur-loading cathodes with low electrolyte/sulfur (E/S) ratios, such as a stable specific capacity of around 1000 mAh g-1 using a low electrolyte amount (i.e, E/S ratio of 5 mL g-1) and highsulfur-loading (4 mg cm-2) cathodes. This electrolyte system almost doubles the capacity obtained with conventional electrolytes under the same harsh conditions. In conclusion, these results highlight the practical potential of this electrolyte system to enable high-energy-density Li-S batteries.
Research Organization:
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States). Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V)
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0007795; EE0005475
OSTI ID:
1430241
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1435967
OSTI ID: 22913016
OSTI ID: 1397394
Report Number(s):
DOE--0007795; PII: S2211285516305602
Journal Information:
Nano Energy, Journal Name: Nano Energy Journal Issue: C Vol. 31; ISSN 2211-2855
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (16)

Development and Challenges of Functional Electrolytes for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal July 2018
Structure-Property Relationships of Organic Electrolytes and Their Effects on Li/S Battery Performance journal June 2017
Rational Design of Statically and Dynamically Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with High Sulfur Loading and Low Electrolyte/Sulfur Ratio journal December 2017
Current Status and Future Prospects of Metal–Sulfur Batteries journal May 2019
Review on High-Loading and High-Energy Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal May 2017
Nickel–Cobalt Double Hydroxide as a Multifunctional Mediator for Ultrahigh‐Rate and Ultralong‐Life Li–S Batteries journal October 2018
Chemical Immobilization Effect on Lithium Polysulfides for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal December 2017
Superior Performance of a Lithium-Sulfur Battery Enabled by a Dimethyl Trisulfide Containing Electrolyte journal April 2018
Structural Design of Lithium–Sulfur Batteries: From Fundamental Research to Practical Application journal June 2018
Toward Better Lithium–Sulfur Batteries: Functional Non-aqueous Liquid Electrolytes journal August 2018
Cathode porosity is a missing key parameter to optimize lithium-sulfur battery energy density journal October 2019
Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-based hybrid gel polymer electrolytes for additive-free lithium sulfur batteries journal January 2017
The combination of intercalation and conversion reactions to improve the volumetric capacity of the cathode in Li–S batteries journal January 2019
Reduced graphene oxide/TiO 2 (B) nanocomposite-modified separator as an efficient inhibitor of polysulfide shuttling in Li–S batteries journal January 2020
Recent advances in polysulfide mediation of lithium-sulfur batteries via facile cathode and electrolyte modification journal August 2019
A Rational Balance Design of Hybrid Electrolyte Based on Ionic Liquid and Fluorinated Ether in Lithium Sulfur Batteries journal January 2019

Similar Records

Functional Organosulfide Electrolyte Promotes an Alternate Reaction Pathway to Achieve High Performance in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Journal Article · Wed Feb 24 23:00:00 EST 2016 · Angewandte Chemie (International Edition) · OSTI ID:1401187
Functional Organosulfide Electrolyte Promotes an Alternate Reaction Pathway to Achieve High Performance in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Journal Article · Wed Feb 24 23:00:00 EST 2016 · Angewandte Chemie · OSTI ID:1401652

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
42 ENGINEERING
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
batteries
dimethyl disulfide
electrolyte/sulfur ratio
high sulfur loading
lithium–sulfur