High-Energy SiO-Sulfur Battery with Preloaded Li₃N in a Cathode as a Lithiation Reagent

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are promising for high energy density but suffer from the shuttle effect and lithium dendrite growth.
• Using silicon (SiO) anodes instead of lithium metal can mitigate these issues, but requires effective prelithiation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel prelithiation strategy for SiO-sulfur batteries.
• To address dendrite formation and polysulfide side reactions in lithium anode.

Main Methods:

• A new SiO-sulfur battery design incorporating preloaded lithium nitride (Li3N) in the cathode as a prelithiation reagent.
• Fabrication and electrochemical testing of S@KB-Li3N vs SiO full cells.

Main Results:

• The proposed prelithiation method effectively suppresses lithium dendrite growth and side reactions with polysulfides.
• The S@KB-Li3N vs SiO full cell achieved a high specific capacity of 790 mAh g⁻¹ post-activation.
• A stable capacity of 478 mAh g⁻¹ was maintained after 100 cycles.

Conclusions:

• The Li3N-based prelithiation strategy offers a viable solution for dendrite-free and stable SiO-sulfur batteries.
• This approach provides a new pathway for developing high-specific-energy SiO-sulfur battery systems.