Issue 42, 2015

Porous nitrogen-doped carbon derived from silk fibroin protein encapsulating sulfur as a superior cathode material for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries

Abstract

The features of a carbon substrate are crucial for the electrochemical performance of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. Nitrogen doping of carbon materials is assumed to play an important role in sulfur immobilisation. In this study, natural silk fibroin protein is used as a precursor of nitrogen-rich carbon to fabricate a novel, porous, nitrogen-doped carbon material through facile carbonisation and activation. Porous carbon, with a reversible capacity of 815 mA h g−1 at 0.2 C after 60 cycles, serves as the cathode material in Li–S batteries. Porous carbon retains a reversible capacity of 567 mA h g−1, which corresponds to a capacity retention of 98% at 1 C after 200 cycles. The promising electrochemical performance of porous carbon is attributed to its mesoporous structure, high specific surface area and nitrogen doping into the carbon skeleton. This study provides a general strategy to synthesise nitrogen-doped carbons with a high specific surface area, which is crucial to improve the energy density and electrochemical performance of Li–S batteries.

Graphical abstract: Porous nitrogen-doped carbon derived from silk fibroin protein encapsulating sulfur as a superior cathode material for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 Jul 2015
Accepted
24 Sep 2015
First published
25 Sep 2015

Nanoscale, 2015,7, 17791-17797

Author version available

Porous nitrogen-doped carbon derived from silk fibroin protein encapsulating sulfur as a superior cathode material for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries

J. Zhang, Y. Cai, Q. Zhong, D. Lai and J. Yao, Nanoscale, 2015, 7, 17791 DOI: 10.1039/C5NR04768D

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