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

Abstract

Here, 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. Here, this work demonstrates a viable approach to develop lithium–sulfur batteries with practical energy densities exceeding that of lithium–ion batteries.

Authors:
 [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. 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:
1488238
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1414806
Grant/Contract Number:  
EE0007218; DE‐EE0007218
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Advanced Materials
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 30; Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 0935-9648
Publisher:
Wiley
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
25 ENERGY STORAGE; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; cyclability; high loading; lithium–sulfur batteries; low electrolyte batteries; low self‐discharge

Citation Formats

Chung, Sheng -Heng, and Manthiram, Arumugam. Rational Design of Statically and Dynamically Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with High Sulfur Loading and Low Electrolyte/Sulfur Ratio. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1002/adma.201705951.
Chung, Sheng -Heng, & Manthiram, Arumugam. Rational Design of Statically and Dynamically Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with High Sulfur Loading and Low Electrolyte/Sulfur Ratio. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201705951
Chung, Sheng -Heng, and Manthiram, Arumugam. Fri . "Rational Design of Statically and Dynamically Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with High Sulfur Loading and Low Electrolyte/Sulfur Ratio". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201705951. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1488238.
@article{osti_1488238,
title = {Rational Design of Statically and Dynamically Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with High Sulfur Loading and Low Electrolyte/Sulfur Ratio},
author = {Chung, Sheng -Heng and Manthiram, Arumugam},
abstractNote = {Here, 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. Here, this work demonstrates a viable approach to develop lithium–sulfur batteries with practical energy densities exceeding that of lithium–ion batteries.},
doi = {10.1002/adma.201705951},
journal = {Advanced Materials},
number = 6,
volume = 30,
place = {United States},
year = {2017},
month = {12}
}

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Cited by: 22 works
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