Chemically Generated Liquid Sulfur Droplets at Room and Subzero Temperatures.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40772670.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acsnano.5c09160 and PMC identifier 12369013.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The liquid phase of sulfur has been observed at room temperature, resulting from the electrochemical oxidation of polysulfides, a process occurring on the electrodes and influenced by the electrode materials. However, such electrode-dependent behavior of liquid sulfur has constrained its use in battery applications, driving research for alternative processes. This paper introduces an approach to generating liquid sulfur at both room and subzero temperatures through chemical reactions independent of the substrate material. We demonstrate that using a redox mediator, polysulfides can be chemically oxidized into liquid sulfur droplets in the electrolyte close to but away from the electrode. This pathway can generate liquid sulfur at room and subzero temperatures of -15 °C, 130 °C below sulfur's melting temperature (115 °C). The chemically generated liquid sulfur further enriches the lithium-sulfur-electrolyte material systems, potentially creating opportunities for high-energy lithium-sulfur and other metal-sulfur batteries.