Highly Effective Trapping-Conversion Interface Based on Nickel-Modified Versatile Carbon Skeleton Enabled...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) offer high theoretical energy density but face challenges like polysulfide shuttling and sluggish kinetics.
• Interlayers are crucial for mitigating these issues and improving LSB performance.
• Developing versatile interlayers that act as both adsorbents and catalysts remains a key research focus.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a multifunctional interlayer for lithium-sulfur batteries.
• To investigate the efficacy of a metallic nickel-modified and nitrogen-doped carbon skeleton (NCS) as an adsorbent and catalyst.
• To enhance the cyclic stability, reaction kinetics, and overall electrochemical performance of LSBs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a tentacles-like metallic nickel-modified and nitrogen-doped carbon skeleton (NCS).
• Characterization of the NCS material's structure and properties.
• Electrochemical testing of LSBs utilizing the NCS interlayer, including capacity, cyclic stability, and Coulombic efficiency measurements at various sulfur loadings.

Main Results:

• The NCS interlayer effectively constructs conductive networks and ion pathways.
• Metallic nickel nanoparticles in the NCS facilitate polysulfide fixation and conversion, improving kinetics.
• LSBs with NCS interlayer demonstrated high specific capacities (e.g., 1204.8 mAh g^-1 at 0.2C) and excellent cyclic stability, even at high sulfur loadings (up to 7.5 mg cm^-2).

Conclusions:

• The developed NCS interlayer significantly improves the electrochemical performance of LSBs.
• This work presents a promising strategy for utilizing metal nanoparticles in interlayers for advanced Li-S battery technology.
• The multifunctional NCS interlayer effectively addresses polysulfide shuttling and enhances reaction kinetics.