Biomimetic Ant-Nest Electrode Structures for High Sulfur Ratio Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Ai, Guo; Dai, Yiling; Mao, Wenfeng; Zhao, Hui; Fu, Yanbao; Song, Xiangyun; En, Yunfei; Battaglia, Vincent S.; Srinivasan, Venkat; Liu, Gao

doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b01434

Title: Biomimetic Ant-Nest Electrode Structures for High Sulfur Ratio Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Journal Article · Mon Aug 08 04:00:00 UTC 2016 · Nano Letters

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b01434 · OSTI ID:1433096

Ai, Guo ^[1]; Dai, Yiling ^[2]; Mao, Wenfeng ^[3]; Zhao, Hui ^[2]; Fu, Yanbao ^[2]; Song, Xiangyun ^[2]; En, Yunfei ^[4]; Battaglia, Vincent S. ^[2]; Srinivasan, Venkat ^[2]; Liu, Gao ^[2]

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division. Energy Technologies Area; No. 5 Electronic Research Inst. of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Guangzhou (China). Science and Technology on Reliability Physics and Application of Electronic Component Lab.
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division. Energy Technologies Area
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division. Energy Technologies Area; Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd., Guangzhou (China)
No. 5 Electronic Research Inst. of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Guangzhou (China). Science and Technology on Reliability Physics and Application of Electronic Component Lab.

The lithium–sulfur (Li–S) rechargeable battery has the benefit of high gravimetric energy density and low cost. Significant research currently focuses on increasing the sulfur loading and sulfur/inactive-materials ratio, to improve life and capacity. Inspired by nature’s ant-nest structure, this study results in a novel Li–S electrode that is designed to meet both goals. With only three simple manufacturing-friendly steps, which include slurry ball-milling, doctor-blade-based laminate casting, and the use of the sacrificial method with water to dissolve away table salt, the ant-nest design has been successfully recreated in an Li–S electrode. The efficient capabilities of the ant-nest structure are adopted to facilitate fast ion transportation, sustain polysulfide dissolution, and assist efficient precipitation. Finally, high cycling stability in the Li–S batteries, for practical applications, has been achieved with up to 3 mg·cm^–2 sulfur loading. Li–S electrodes with up to a 85% sulfur ratio have also been achieved for the efficient design of this novel ant-nest structure.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V); China Scholarship Council

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1433096

Journal Information:: Nano Letters, Journal Name: Nano Letters Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 16; ISSN 1530-6984

Publisher:: American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Biomimetic Ant-Nest Electrode Structures for High Sulfur Ratio Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

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