Lithium-sulfur batteries

摘要： In 2011,a new class of 2D materials was discovered;after 2012,they began to be concerned;in 2017,the“gold rush”of the materials was triggered,and they are exactly MXenes.2D MXenes,a new class of transition metal carbides,carbonitrides and nitrides,have become the star and cutting-edge research materials in the field of emerging batteries systems due to their unique 2D structure,abundant surface chemistry,and excellent physical and electrochemical properties.This review focuses on the MXene materials and summarizes the recent advancements in the synthesis techniques and properties,in addition to a detailed discussion on the electrochemical energy storage applications,including alkali-ion(Li^(+),Na^(+),K^(+))storage,lithium-sulfur(Li–S)batteries,sodiumsulfur(Na–S)batteries,and metal anode protection.Special attentions are given to the elaborate design of nano-micro structures of MXenes for the various roles as electrodes,multifunctional components,S hosts,modified separators,and metal anode protective layers.The paper ends with a prospective summary of the promising research directions in terms of synthesis,structure,properties,analysis,and production on MXene materials.

摘要： Bulk sulfur incorporating 3 wt% gold nano-powder is investigated as possible candidate to maximize the fraction of active material in the Li-S battery cathode.The material is prepared via simple mixing of gold with molten sulfur at 120°C,quenching at room temperature,and grinding.Our comprehensive study reports relevant electrochemical data,advanced X-ray computed tomography(CT)imaging of the positive and negative electrodes,and a thorough structural and morphological characterization of the S:Au 97:3 w/w composite.This cathode exhibits high rate capability within the range from C/10 to 1C,a maximum capacity above 1300 mAh gs^(-1),and capacity retention between 85%and 91%after 100 cycles at 1C and C/3 rates.The novel formulation enables a sulfur fraction in the composite cathode film as high as 78 wt%,an active material loading of 5.7 mg cm^(-2),and an electrolyte/sulfur(E/S)ratio of 5μL mg^(-1),which lead to a maximum areal capacity of 5.4 mAh cm^(-2).X-ray CT at the micro-and nanoscale reveals the microstructural features of the positive electrode that favor fast conversion kinetics in the battery.Quantitative analysis of sulfur distribution in the porous cathode displays that electrodeposition during the initial cycle may trigger an activation process in the cell leading to improved performance.Furthermore,the tomography study reveals the characteristics of the lithium anode and the cell separator upon a galvanostatic test prolonged over 300 cycles at a 2C rate.

摘要： Lithium-sulfur battery(LSB) has high energy density but is limited by the polysulfides shuttle and dendrite growth during cycling. Herein, a free-standing cellulose nanofiber(CNF) separator is designed and fabricated in isopropanol/water suspension through vacuum filtration progress. CNFs with abundant polar oxygen-containing functional groups can chemically immobilize the polysulfides, and suppress the formation of the dendrites by controlling the surface morphology of the SEI on lithium metal in LSB. The isopropanol content in a suspension can fine-tune the pore structure of the membrane to achieve optimal electrochemical performance. The prepared separator displays integrated advantages of an ultrathin thickness(19 μm), lightweight(0.87 mg cm^(-2)), extremely high porosity(98.05%), and decent electrolyte affinity. As a result, the discharge capacity of the LSB with CNF separator at the first and 100 th cycle is 1.4 and 1.3 times that of PP separator, respectively. Our research provides an environmentalfriendly and facile strategy for the preparation of multifunctional separators for LSBs.

摘要： Flame-retardant polymer electrolytes(FRSPEs)are attractive due to their potential for fundamentally settling the safety issues of liquid electrolytes.However,the current FRSPEs have introduced large quantity of flame-retardant composition which cannot conduct lithium ions,thus decreasing the Li-ion conductivity.Here,we synthesize a novel liquid monomer 2-((bis((2-oxo-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methoxy)phosphoryl)oxy)ethyl acrylate(BDPA)for preparing FRSPE by in-situ polymerization,in which PBDPA polymer can not only conduct lithium ions,but also prevent burning.The prepared FRSPE demonstrated outstanding flame-retardant property,favorable lithium-ion conductivity of 5.65×10^(-4) S cm^(-1) at ambient temperature,and a wide electrochemical window up to 4.5 V.Moreover,the Li/in-situ FRSPE/S@pPAN cell exhibited favorable electrochemical performances.We believe that this work provides an effective strategy for establishing high-performance fireproof quasi-solid-state battery system.

摘要： The exploration of new catalytic hosts is highly important to tackle the sluggish electrochemical kinetics of sulfur redox for achieving high energy density of lithium–sulfur batteries.Herein,for the first time,we present high-entropy oxide(HEO,(Mg_(0.2)Mn_(0.2)Ni_(0.2)Co_(0.2)Zn_(0.2))Fe_(2)O_(4))nanofibers as catalytic host of sulfur.The HEO nanofibers show a synergistic effect among multiple metal cations in spinel structure that enables strong chemical confinement of soluble polysulfides and fast kinetics for polysulfide conversion.Consequently,the S/HEO composite displays the high gravimetric capacity of 1368.7 mAh g^(−1) at 0.1 C rate,excellent rate capability with the discharge capacity of 632.1 mAh g^(−1) at 5 C rate,and desirable cycle stability.Furthermore,the S/HEO composite shows desirable sulfur utilization and good cycle stability under a harsh operating condition of high sulfur loading(4.6 mg cm^(−2))or low electrolyte/sulfur ratio(5μL mg^(−1)).More impressively,the high volumetric capacity of 2627.9 mAh cm^(−3) is achieved simultaneously for the S/HEO composite due to the high tap density of 1.92 g cm^(−3),nearly 2.5 times of the conventional sulfur/carbon composite.Therefore,based on high-entropy oxide materials,this work affords a fresh concept of elevating the gravimetric/volumetric capacities of sulfur cathodes for lithium–sulfur batteries.

摘要： The mass fraction of electrolytes is the crucial factor affecting the energy density of lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries. Due to the high porosity within the C/S cathode, high concentration of polysulfides, and side reaction in lithiun metal anode under lean electrolyte, it is extremely challenging to improve performance while reducing the electrolyte volume. Here, we report a novel electrolyte with relatively low density(1.16 g cm^(-2)), low viscosity(1.84 m Pa s), and high ionic conductivity, which significantly promotes energy density and cyclability of Li-S batteries under practical conditions. Moreover, such electrolyte enables a hybrid cathode electrolyte interphase(CEI) and solid electrolyte interface(SEI) layer with plentiful Li F, which leads to fast kinetics of ions transport and stable cyclability even under low temperatures.Compared to Li-S batteries in electrolyte employing 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl ether(TTE) diluent, the ultra-thick cathode(20 mg cm^(-2)) shows a high capacity of 9.48 m Ah cm^(-2)and excellent capacity retention of 80.3% over 191 cycles at a low electrolyte-to-sulfur ratio(E/S = 2) and negative-to-positive capacity ratio(N/P = 2.5), realizing a 19.2% improvement in energy density in coin cells(from 370 to 441 Wh kg^(-1)) and a high energy density up to 467 Wh kg^(-1) in pouch cells. This study not only provides guidance for the electrolyte design but also paves the way for the development of high performance Li-S batteries under practical conditions.

摘要： A mechanically strong binder with polar functional groups could overcome the dilemma of the large volume change during charge/discharge processes and poor cyclability of lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs).In this work,for the first time,we report the use of poly(thiourea triethylene glycol)(PTTG)as a multifunctional binder for sulfur cathodes to enhance the performance of LSBs.As expected,the PTTG binder facilitates the high performance and stability delivered by the Sulfur-PTTG cathode,including a higher reversible capacity of 825 mAh g^(-1) at 0.2 C after 80 cycles,a lower capacity fading(0.123%per cycle)over 350 cycles at 0.5 C,a higher areal capacity of 2.5 mAh cm^(-2) at 0.25 mA cm^(-2),and better rate capability of 587 mAh g^(-1) at 2 C.Such superior electrochemical performances could be attributed to PTTG's strong chemical adsorption towards polysulfides which may avoid the lithium polysulfide shuttle effect and excellent mechanical characteristics which prevents electrode collapse during cycling and allows the Sulfur-PTTG electrode to maintain robust electron and ion migration pathways for accelerated redox reaction kinetics.

摘要： Rechargeable lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are considered one of the most promising energy storage techniques owing to the high theoretical energy density.However,challenges still remain such as the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides(LPSs)and the instability of lithium metal anode.Herein,we propose to use nitrogen-rich azoles,i.e.,triazole(Ta)and tetrazole(Tta),as trifunctional electrolyte additives for Li-S batteries.The azoles afford strong lithiophilicity for the chemisorption of LPSs.The density functional theory and experimental analysis verify the presence of Li bonds between the azoles and LPSs.The azoles can also interact with lithium salt in the electrolyte,leading to increase ionic conductivity and lithiumion transference number.Moreover,the azoles render particle-like lithium deposition on the lithium metal anode,leading to superlong cycling of a Li symmetric cell.The Li-S batteries with Ta and Tta exhibit the initial discharge capacity of 1425.5 and 1322.2 m Ah g^(-1),respectively,at 0.2 C rate,and promising cycling stability.They also enable enhanced cycling performance of a Li-organosulfide battery.

摘要： Despite great progress in lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries, the electrochemical reactions in the cell are not yet fully understood. Electrode processes, complex interfaces and internal resistance may be characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS). EIS is a non-destructive technique and easy to apply, though there are challenges in ensuring the reproducibility of measurements and the interpretation of impedance data. Here, we present the impedance behavior of a 3.4 Ah Li-S pouch cell characterized by EIS. The impedance changes were analyzed over the entire depth-of-discharge, depth-of-charge,and at various temperatures. Based on the formation of intermediates during(dis)charging, the changes of resistances are observed. Overall, the increase in temperature causes a decrease in electrolyte viscosity,lowering the surface energy which can improve the penetration of the electrolyte into the electrode pores. Moreover, the effect of superimposed AC current during EIS measurement was analyzed, and the results show the dependence of the charge transfer resistance on superimposed AC current which was lower compared to steady-state conditions and consents with theory.

摘要： Lithium sulfur battery(LSB)is a promising energy storage system to meet the increasing energy demands for electric vehicles and smart grid,while its wide commercialization is severely inhibited by the"shuttle effect"of polysulfides,low utilization of sulfur cathode,and safety of lithium anode.To overcome these issues,herein,monodisperse polar NiCo_(2)O_(4)nanoparticles decorated porous graphene aerogel composite(NCO-GA)is proposed.The aerogel composite demonstrates high conductivity,hierarchical porous structure,high chemisorption capacity and excellent electrocatalytic ability,which effectively inhibits the"shuttle effect",promotes the ion/electron transport and increases the reaction kinetics.The NCO-GA/S cathode exhibits high discharge specific capacity(1214.1 mAh g^(-1)at 0.1 C),outstanding rate capability(435.7 mAh g^(-1)at 5 C)and remarkable cycle stability(decay of 0.031%/cycle over 1000 cycles).Quantitative analyses show that the physical adsorption provided by GA mainly contributes to the capacity of NCO-GA/S at low rate,while the chemical adsorption provided by polar NiCo_(2)O_(4)contributes mainly to the capacity of NCO-GA/S with the increase of current density and cycling.This work provides a new strategy for the design of GA-based composite with synergistic adsorption and electrocatalytic activity for the potential applications in LSB and related energy fields.