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Title: Long-Life Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with a Bifunctional Cathode Substrate Configured with Boron Carbide Nanowires

Abstract

Abstract Developing high‐energy‐density lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries relies on the design of electrode substrates that can host a high sulfur loading and still attain high electrochemical utilization. Herein, a new bifunctional cathode substrate configured with boron‐carbide nanowires in situ grown on carbon nanofibers (B 4 C@CNF) is established through a facile catalyst‐assisted process. The B 4 C nanowires acting as chemical‐anchoring centers provide strong polysulfide adsorptivity, as validated by experimental data and first‐principle calculations. Meanwhile, the catalytic effect of B 4 C also accelerates the redox kinetics of polysulfide conversion, contributing to enhanced rate capability. As a result, a remarkable capacity retention of 80% after 500 cycles as well as stable cyclability at 4C rate is accomplished with the cells employing B 4 C@CNF as a cathode substrate for sulfur. Moreover, the B 4 C@CNF substrate enables the cathode to achieve both high sulfur content (70 wt%) and sulfur loading (10.3 mg cm −2 ), delivering a superb areal capacity of 9 mAh cm −2 . Additionally, Li–S pouch cells fabricated with the B 4 C@CNF substrate are able to host a high sulfur mass of 200 mg per cathode and deliver a high discharge capacity of 125 mAh after 50more » cycles.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. The Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin TX (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
OSTI Identifier:
1487460
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1464282
Grant/Contract Number:  
EE0007218
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Advanced Materials
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 30; Journal Issue: 39; Journal ID: ISSN 0935-9648
Publisher:
Wiley
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
25 ENERGY STORAGE; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; boron carbide; electrochemical performance; first‐principle calculations; high‐loading cathodes; lithium–sulfur batteries

Citation Formats

Luo, Liu, Chung, Sheng -Heng, Yaghoobnejad Asl, Hooman, and Manthiram, Arumugam. Long-Life Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with a Bifunctional Cathode Substrate Configured with Boron Carbide Nanowires. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1002/adma.201804149.
Luo, Liu, Chung, Sheng -Heng, Yaghoobnejad Asl, Hooman, & Manthiram, Arumugam. Long-Life Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with a Bifunctional Cathode Substrate Configured with Boron Carbide Nanowires. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201804149
Luo, Liu, Chung, Sheng -Heng, Yaghoobnejad Asl, Hooman, and Manthiram, Arumugam. Sun . "Long-Life Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with a Bifunctional Cathode Substrate Configured with Boron Carbide Nanowires". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201804149. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1487460.
@article{osti_1487460,
title = {Long-Life Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with a Bifunctional Cathode Substrate Configured with Boron Carbide Nanowires},
author = {Luo, Liu and Chung, Sheng -Heng and Yaghoobnejad Asl, Hooman and Manthiram, Arumugam},
abstractNote = {Abstract Developing high‐energy‐density lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries relies on the design of electrode substrates that can host a high sulfur loading and still attain high electrochemical utilization. Herein, a new bifunctional cathode substrate configured with boron‐carbide nanowires in situ grown on carbon nanofibers (B 4 C@CNF) is established through a facile catalyst‐assisted process. The B 4 C nanowires acting as chemical‐anchoring centers provide strong polysulfide adsorptivity, as validated by experimental data and first‐principle calculations. Meanwhile, the catalytic effect of B 4 C also accelerates the redox kinetics of polysulfide conversion, contributing to enhanced rate capability. As a result, a remarkable capacity retention of 80% after 500 cycles as well as stable cyclability at 4C rate is accomplished with the cells employing B 4 C@CNF as a cathode substrate for sulfur. Moreover, the B 4 C@CNF substrate enables the cathode to achieve both high sulfur content (70 wt%) and sulfur loading (10.3 mg cm −2 ), delivering a superb areal capacity of 9 mAh cm −2 . Additionally, Li–S pouch cells fabricated with the B 4 C@CNF substrate are able to host a high sulfur mass of 200 mg per cathode and deliver a high discharge capacity of 125 mAh after 50 cycles.},
doi = {10.1002/adma.201804149},
journal = {Advanced Materials},
number = 39,
volume = 30,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Aug 12 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Sun Aug 12 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

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