Hybrid Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with a Solid Electrolyte Membrane and Lithium Polysulfide Catholyte

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are receiving great attention as the most promising next-generation power source with significantly high charge-storage capacity. However, the implementation of Li-S batteries is hampered by a critical challenge because of the soluble nature of the intermediate polysulfide species in the liquid electrolyte. The use of traditional porous separators unavoidably allows the migration of the dissolved polysulfide species from the cathode to the lithium-metal anode and results in continuous loss of capacity. In this study, a LiSICON (lithium super ionic conductor) solid membrane is used as a cation-selective electrolyte for lithium-polysulfide (Li-PS) batteries to suppress the polysulfide diffusion. Ionic conductivity issue at the lithium metal/solid electrolyte interface is successfully addressed by insertion of a "soft", liquid-electrolyte integrated polypropylene interlayer. The solid LiSICON lithium-ion conductor maintains stable ionic conductivity during the electrochemical cycling of the cells. The Li-PS battery system with a hybrid solid/liquid electrolyte exhibits significantly enhanced cyclability relative to the cells with the traditional liquid-electrolyte integrated porous separator.