Issue 4, 2017

Inorganic–organic layer by layer hybrid membranes for lithium–sulfur batteries

Abstract

The sulfur cathode has a gravimetric theoretical energy of 3500 W h kg−1 which is 3.5× higher than that of the most energy dense cathode material used in commercial lithium ion batteries (1000 W h kg−1 for LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA)). The lithium–sulfur battery also promises a dramatic drop in the cost of high energy density batteries due to the wide availability of sulfur which may compensate costs associated with the operation of lithium metal sheets or powder anodes which are not stable in moist air and require dry rooms or an inert atmosphere. High sulfur loading cathodes have been typically assembled by infiltrating sulfur into porous conductive hosts or interlayers. However, a different approach is that of synthesizing sulfur particles in situ by the reaction of strong acids and sulfur precursors such as sodium thiosulfate. In this communication we propose (A) a novel, eco-safe method for the bottom-up synthesis of sulfur particles which is based on the reaction of weak acids such as vitamin C and commercial potassium polysulfides; (B) layer by layer assembly of hybrid inorganic/organic membrane encapsulating the sulfur particle impedes polysulfide dissolution or protecting the lithium metal anode; (C) a close relationship between the utilization of the lithium metal anode and the short cycle life of lithium–sulfur cells.

Graphical abstract: Inorganic–organic layer by layer hybrid membranes for lithium–sulfur batteries

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
10 Feb 2017
Accepted
21 Mar 2017
First published
27 Mar 2017

Energy Environ. Sci., 2017,10, 905-911

Inorganic–organic layer by layer hybrid membranes for lithium–sulfur batteries

C. B. Bucur, M. Jones, M. Kopylov, J. Spear and J. Muldoon, Energy Environ. Sci., 2017, 10, 905 DOI: 10.1039/C7EE00398F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements