skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Superior Performance of a Lithium-Sulfur Battery Enabled by a Dimethyl Trisulfide Containing Electrolyte

Journal Article · · Small Methods

Abstract The lithium–sulfur (Li‐S) battery offers a high theoretical energy density of ≈2600 Wh kg −1 and low cost, positioning it as a promising candidate for next‐generation battery technology. However, problems including disastrous Li polysulfides dissolution and irreversible Li 2 S deposition have severely retarded the development of Li‐S batteries. To solve these issues, a functional dimethyl disulfide (DMDS)‐containing electrolyte was recently reported that promotes an alternate electrochemical reaction pathway for sulfur cathodes by the formation of dimethyl polysulfides and Li organosulfides as intermediates and reduction products, leading to significantly boosted Li‐S cell capacity with improved cycling reversibility and stability. Here, dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS), a primary discharge–charge intermediate in the DMDS‐containing electrolyte, which is also a commercially available reagent, is further investigated as a cosolvent in functional electrolytes for Li‐S batteries. Due to the higher theoretical capacity of DMTS and its better reactivity with Li 2 S than DMDS, a 25 vol% DMTS‐containing electrolyte enables Li‐S batteries with even higher cell capacity and improved cycling performance than using previous optimal 50 vol% DMDS‐containing electrolyte.

Research Organization:
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States). Dept of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V); USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0007795; DE‐EE0007795
OSTI ID:
1435969
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1441117
Report Number(s):
DOE-PENNSTATE-0007795; PII:974
Journal Information:
Small Methods, Vol. 2, Issue 6; ISSN 2366-9608
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 35 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (36)

Electrochemical performance of lithium/sulfur batteries with protected Li anodes journal June 2003
Ordered mesoporous carbon/sulfur nanocomposite of high performances as cathode for lithium–sulfur battery journal November 2011
Organotrisulfide: A High Capacity Cathode Material for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries journal July 2016
Mesoporous Titanium Nitride-Enabled Highly Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal May 2016
A Lightweight TiO 2 /Graphene Interlayer, Applied as a Highly Effective Polysulfide Absorbent for Fast, Long-Life Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal March 2015
Role of LiNO3 in rechargeable lithium/sulfur battery journal May 2012
Entrapment of Polysulfides by a Black-Phosphorus-Modified Separator for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal September 2016
High-Energy, High-Rate, Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: Synergetic Effect of Hollow TiO 2 -Webbed Carbon Nanotubes and a Dual Functional Carbon-Paper Interlayer journal October 2015
Balancing surface adsorption and diffusion of lithium-polysulfides on nonconductive oxides for lithium–sulfur battery design journal April 2016
Exchange of Parts between Molecules at Equilibrium. V. Alkyl-Terminated Chain Polysulfides and Polyselenides journal August 1964
Lithium–sulphur batteries with a microporous carbon paper as a bifunctional interlayer journal January 2012
New insights into the limiting parameters of the Li/S rechargeable cell journal February 2012
A highly efficient polysulfide mediator for lithium–sulfur batteries journal January 2015
Advanced Sulfur Cathode Enabled by Highly Crumpled Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Sheets for High-Energy-Density Lithium–Sulfur Batteries journal January 2016
Enhancement of long stability of sulfur cathode by encapsulating sulfur into micropores of carbon spheres journal January 2010
Metal–organic framework-based separator for lithium–sulfur batteries journal June 2016
Unique behaviour of nonsolvents for polysulphides in lithium–sulphur batteries journal January 2014
High capacity of lithium-sulfur batteries at low electrolyte/sulfur ratio enabled by an organosulfide containing electrolyte journal January 2017
Porous Hollow Carbon@Sulfur Composites for High-Power Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal May 2011
Bifunctional Separator with a Light-Weight Carbon-Coating for Dynamically and Statically Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal June 2014
Disproportionation of organic polysulfides journal May 1967
Liquid electrolyte lithium/sulfur battery: Fundamental chemistry, problems, and solutions journal June 2013
Ionic shield for polysulfides towards highly-stable lithium–sulfur batteries journal January 2014
Lithium-Sulfur Cells: The Gap between the State-of-the-Art and the Requirements for High Energy Battery Cells journal April 2015
Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Promoted Chemical Adsorption of Sulfur and Fabrication of High-Areal-Capacity Sulfur Cathode with Exceptional Cycling Stability for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal October 2013
Improved cycling performances of lithium sulfur batteries with LiNO3-modified electrolyte journal November 2011
Functional Organosulfide Electrolyte Promotes an Alternate Reaction Pathway to Achieve High Performance in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal February 2016
Li–O2 and Li–S batteries with high energy storage journal January 2012
Two-dimensional layered transition metal disulphides for effective encapsulation of high-capacity lithium sulphide cathodes journal September 2014
A highly ordered nanostructured carbon–sulphur cathode for lithium–sulphur batteries journal May 2009
Mesoporous Carbon–Carbon Nanotube–Sulfur Composite Microspheres for High-Areal-Capacity Lithium–Sulfur Battery Cathodes journal October 2013
Manipulating surface reactions in lithium–sulphur batteries using hybrid anode structures journal January 2014
Unstacked double-layer templated graphene for high-rate lithium–sulphur batteries journal March 2014
Organotrisulfide: A High Capacity Cathode Material for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries journal July 2016
Porous Hollow Carbon@Sulfur Composites for High-Power Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal May 2011
Functional Organosulfide Electrolyte Promotes an Alternate Reaction Pathway to Achieve High Performance in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries journal February 2016

Cited By (1)

Conductive and Catalytic Triple-Phase Interfaces Enabling Uniform Nucleation in High-Rate Lithium-Sulfur Batteries journal October 2018