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Metal-Sulfur Battery Cathodes Based on PAN-Sulfur Composites
Shuya Wei1, Lin Ma1, Kenville E Hendrickson1
1School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, ‡Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|September 2, 2015
Summary
New sulfur/polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) nanocomposites eliminate polysulfide shuttling in rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) cells. These stable SPAN cathodes enable high-energy Li-S batteries without traditional anode stabilizers.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) cells offer high theoretical energy density but face challenges like polysulfide shuttling.
- Polysulfide dissolution and migration hinder Li-S cell performance and cycle life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop novel cathode materials for high-energy Li-S cells that overcome polysulfide issues.
- To investigate the electrochemical behavior and stability of sulfur/polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) nanocomposites.
Main Methods:
- Facile thermal synthesis of sulfur/polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) nanocomposites using sulfur and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as reactants.
- Electrochemical analysis (cycling, Coulombic efficiency) and spectroscopic characterization of SPAN cathodes.
- Testing Li-S cells with SPAN cathodes in simple carbonate electrolytes without traditional anode stabilizers.
Main Results:
- SPAN nanocomposites maintain sulfur in small molecular forms (S3/S2) throughout the redox process.
- Covalent bonding and physical confinement of sulfur within the PAN host effectively eliminate polysulfide dissolution and shuttling.
- Li-SPAN cells demonstrate stable cycling with high Coulombic efficiencies in simple electrolytes, even without anode stabilizing additives.
- Full and reversible redox conversion between elemental sulfur and Li-ions, producing Li2S, was observed over hundreds of cycles.
Conclusions:
- SPAN nanocomposites represent a significant advancement in Li-S battery cathode materials.
- The developed materials effectively address key limitations of Li-S cells, paving the way for practical high-energy applications.
- This approach offers a simplified and stable electrolyte system for advanced Li-S batteries.
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