Two-dimensional Co(OH)(2)/graphene oxide composite as an efficient multifunctional interlayer for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

摘要

The shuttling-effect of soluble lithium-based polysulfides (LiPS) represents one of the main obstacles for practical application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, to address this issue, a flexible Li-S interlayer consisting of a two-dimensional alpha-Co(OH)(2) nano-plate and graphene oxide (GO) is developed using a simple vacuum filtration technique. In the interlayer, the alpha-Co(OH)(2) and GO are assembled into a layered structure forming a physical barrier for the shuttling of LiPS. Additionally, the alpha-Co(OH)(2) offers strong chemical adsorption and efficient catalysis performance towards LiPS conversion, further inhibiting its shuttling. Attributed to these beneficial features of the interlayer, the Li-S battery delivers an initial discharge capacity of 834 mAh g(-1) at the current density of 1 C. More importantly, after 300 cycles, a high discharge capacity of 590 mAh g(-1) was retained, corresponding to a low capacity fading rate of 0.1% per cycle. This work might be of great interest for the feasible and scalable preparation of multifunctional interlayers in Li-S batteries.