Efficient synthesis of high-sulfur-content cathodes for high-performance Li–S batteries based on solvothermal polysulfide chemistry
A novel solvothermal polysulfide (PS) chemistry enables a facile and highly efficient process for synthesizing sulfur-carbon (S–C) composite powders containing up to 90 wt% S for high-performance Li–S batteries. Molecular dynamics calculations and experimental analyses reveal the formation of PSs upon dissolution of elemental S in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) at elevated temperatures and efficient infiltration of the PSs into the carbon host driven by the strong coupling with the C surfaces. The coupling enables extensive contact between S and C in the composite, leading to promising electrochemical properties for Li–S battery applications. In the power-type configuration, the composite cathodes having medium-to-high S contents (55 and 75%) demonstrate stable capacity at high current densities up to 100C (1C = 1670 mA g-1-S) and no capacity fade up to 1000 cycles at 2C. In the energy-type configuration, a high-S-content and high-loading (90%-S, 4.2 mAh cm-2) cathode shows a specific capacity of 1440 mAh g-1 (86% S utilization) and 90% capacity retention after 300 cycles. This synthesis method enables significant advancement in realizing large-scale applications of Li–S batteries.
- Research Organization:
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-76SF00515
- OSTI ID:
- 1608582
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Power Sources, Journal Name: Journal of Power Sources Journal Issue: C Vol. 450; ISSN 0378-7753
- Publisher:
- ElsevierCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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