Expediting the Conversion of Li<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub> to Li<sub>2</sub>S Enables High-Performance Li-S Batteries.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33784808.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acsnano.1c00556.
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Abstract
The solid-solid conversion of Li<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub> to Li<sub>2</sub>S is a crucial and rate-controlling step that provides one-half of the theoretical capacity of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. The catalysts in the Li-S batteries are often useless in the solid-solid conversion due to the poor contact interfaces between solid catalysts and insoluble solid Li<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub>. Considering that ultrafine nanostructured materials have the properties of quantum size effects and unconventional reactivities, we design and synthesize for the pomegranate-like sulfur nanoclusters@nitrogen-doped carbon@nitrogen-doped carbon nanospheres (S@N-C@N-C NSs) with a seed-pulp-peel nanostructure. The ultrafine S@N-C subunits (diameter ≈5 nm) and effects of a spatial structure perfectly realize the rapid conversion of ultrafine Li<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub> to Li<sub>2</sub>S. The S@N-C@N-C seed-pulp-peel NS cathodes exhibit excellent sulfur utilization, superb rate performance (760 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 10.0 C), and an ultralow capacity decay rate of about 0.016% per cycle over 1000 cycles at 4.0 C. The proposed strategy based on ultrafine nanostructured materials can also inform material engineering in related energy storage and conversion fields.