Concurrent hetero-/homo-geneous electrocatalysts to bi-phasically mediate sulfur species for lithium-sulfur batteries

Expediting redox kinetics of sulfur species on conductive scaffolds with limited charge accessible surface is considered as an imperative approach to realize energy-dense and power-intensive lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries.In this work,the concept of concurrent hetero-/homo-geneous electrocatalysts is proposed to simultaneously mediate liquid-solid conversion of lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)and solid lithium disulfide/sulfide(Li_(2)S_(2)/Li_(2)S)propagation,the latter of which suffers from sluggish reduction kinetics due to buried conductive scaffold surface by extensive deposition of Li_(2)S_(2)/Li_(2)S.The selected model material to verify this concept is a two-in-one catalyst:carbon nanotube(CNT)scaffold supported iron-cobalt(Fe-Co)alloy nanoparticles and partially carbonized selenium(C-Se)component.The Fe-Co alloy serves as a heterogeneous electrocatalyst to seed Li_(2)S_(2)/Li_(2)S through sulphifilic active sites,while the C-Se sustainably releases soluble lithium polyselenides and functions as a homogeneous electrocatalyst to propagate Li_(2)S_(2)/Li_(2)S via solution pathways.Such bi-phasic mediation of the sulfur species benefits reduction kinetics of LiPS conversion,especially for the massive Li_(2)S_(2)/Li_(2)S growth scenario by affording an additional solution directed route in case of conductive surface being largely buried.This strategy endows the Li-S batteries with improved cycling stability(836 mA h g^(-1)after 180 cycles),rate capability(547 mA h g^(-1)at 4 C)and high sulfur loading superiority(2.96 mA h cm^(-2)at 2.4 mg cm^(-2)).This work hopes to enlighten the employment of bi-phasic electrocatalysts to dictate liquid-solid transformation of intermediates for conversion chemistry batteries.

Insight into demand-driven preparation of single-atomic mediators for lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries have attracted considerable attention as one of the most appealing energy storage systems.Strenuous efforts have been devoted to tackling the tremendous challenges,mainly pertaining to the severe shuttle effect,sluggish redox kinetics and lithium dendritic growth.Single-atomic mediators as promising candidates exhibit impressive performance in addressing these intractable issues.Related research often utilizes a trial-and-error approach,proposing solutions to fabricate single-atomic materials with diversified features.However,comprehensive review articles especially targeting demand-driven preparation are still in a nascent stage.Inspired by these considerations,this review summarizes the design of single-atomic mediators based on the application case-studies in LiS batteries and other metal-sulfur systems.Emerging preparation routes represented by chemical vapor deposition technology are introduced in a demand-oriented classification.Finally,future research directions are proposed to foster the advancement of single-atomic mediators in Li-S realm.

A Review on Engineering Design for Enhancing Interfacial Contact in Solid-State Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

The utilization of solid-state electrolytes(SSEs)presents a promising solution to the issues of safety concern and shuttle effect in Li–S batteries,which has garnered significant interest recently.However,the high interfacial impedances existing between the SSEs and the electrodes(both lithium anodes and sulfur cathodes)hinder the charge transfer and intensify the uneven deposition of lithium,which ultimately result in insufficient capacity utilization and poor cycling stability.Hence,the reduction of interfacial resistance between SSEs and electrodes is of paramount importance in the pursuit of efficacious solid-state batteries.In this review,we focus on the experimental strategies employed to enhance the interfacial contact between SSEs and electrodes,and summarize recent progresses of their applications in solidstate Li–S batteries.Moreover,the challenges and perspectives of rational interfacial design in practical solid-state Li–S batteries are outlined as well.We expect that this review will provide new insights into the further technique development and practical applications of solid-state lithium batteries.

A Review on Engineering Transition Metal Compound Catalysts to Accelerate the Redox Kinetics of Sulfur Cathodes for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Engineering transition metal compounds(TMCs)catalysts with excellent adsorption-catalytic ability has been one of the most effec-tive strategies to accelerate the redox kinetics of sulfur cathodes.Herein,this review focuses on engineering TMCs catalysts by cation doping/anion doping/dual doping,bimetallic/bi-anionic TMCs,and TMCs-based heterostructure composites.It is obvious that introducing cations/anions to TMCs or constructing heterostructure can boost adsorption-catalytic capacity by regulating the electronic structure including energy band,d/p-band center,electron filling,and valence state.Moreover,the elec-tronic structure of doped/dual-ionic TMCs are adjusted by inducing ions with different electronegativity,electron filling,and ion radius,resulting in electron redistribution,bonds reconstruction,induced vacancies due to the electronic interaction and changed crystal structure such as lat-tice spacing and lattice distortion.Different from the aforementioned two strategies,heterostructures are constructed by two types of TMCs with different Fermi energy levels,which causes built-in electric field and electrons transfer through the interface,and induces electron redistribution and arranged local atoms to regulate the electronic structure.Additionally,the lacking studies of the three strategies to comprehensively regulate electronic structure for improving catalytic performance are pointed out.It is believed that this review can guide the design of advanced TMCs catalysts for boosting redox of lithium sulfur batteries.

Constructing a 700 Wh kg^(-1)-level rechargeable lithium-sulfur pouch cell

Lithium–sulfur(Li–S)batteries are considered as highly promising energy storage devices because of their ultrahigh theoretical energy density of 2600 Wh kg^(-1).The highest practical energy density of Li–S batteries reported at pouch cell level has exceeded 500 Wh kg^(-1),which significantly surpasses that of lithium-ion batteries.Herein,a 700 Wh kg^(-1)-level Li–S pouch cell is successfully constructed.The pouch cell is designed at 6 Ah level with high-sulfur-loading cathodes of 7.4 mgScm^(-2),limited anode excess(50μm in thickness),and lean electrolyte(electrolyte to sulfur ratio of 1.7 gelectrolyteg^(-1)S).Accordingly,an ultrahigh specific capacity of 1563 m A h g^(-1)is achieved with the addition of a redox comediator to afford a practical energy density of 695 Wh kg^(-1)based on the total mass of all components.The pouch cell can operate stably for three cycles and then failed due to rapidly increased polarization at the second discharge plateau.According to failure analysis,electrolyte exhaustion is suggested as the key limiting factor.This work achieves a significant breakthrough in constructing high-energy-density Li–S batteries and propels the development of Li–S batteries toward practical working conditions.

Fundamentals,recent developments and prospects of lithium and non-lithium electrochemical rechargeable battery systems

The present and future energy requirements of mankind can be fulfilled with sustained research and development efforts by global scientists.The purpose of this review paper is to provide an overview of the fundamentals,recent advancements on Lithium and non-Lithium electrochemical rechargeable battery systems,and their future prospects.The initial part of this review paper is dedicated to the advancement and challenges faced by the conventional rechargeable batteries,such as lead-acid,Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries.The subsequent section of this review focuses on an in-depth analysis of two major categories of rechargeable batteries,namely lithium-based rechargeable battery systems and alternative non-Lithium rechargeable battery systems.The working principle,construction,and a few important research progress on Li-ion,Li-O_(2),Li-CO_(2) and Li-S batteries have been highlighted.The recent progress and challenges of the alternate batteries such as Na-ion,Na-S,Mg-ion,K-ion,Al-ion,Al-air,Zn-ion and Zn-air are also discussed in this review.The large gap between theoretical and practical electrochemical values for the alternate battery system must be filled by adopting a series of design architectures followed by modern instrumentation for developing next-generation batteries in a sustainable and efficient way.

Two-Step Synthesis of Sulfur/Graphene Composite Cathode for Rechargeable Lithium Sulfur Batteries

Sulfur/graphene composites with different sulfur contents were prepared by two-step synthesis, where graphene was regarded as a carrier of sulfur active substance. The surface structure and crystal form of the composites obtained were characterized and compared by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. It was found that sulfur was partially coated by graphene. The graphene folds provided more nano-pores and electron transport channels for sulfur. From TGA results, the sulfur contents of the sulfur/graphene compositcs measured were about 42.32 wt%, 54.94 wt%, and 65.23 wt%. Electrochemical tests demonstrated that sulfur/graphene composite （x=54.94 wt%） cathode exhibited better capacity retention （40.13%） compared with the pure cathode （20.46%）, where an initial discharge capacity was up to 1 500 mAh.g-t and it remained about 600 mAh·g-1 after 30 cycles. Furthermore, the electrochemical reaction mechanism and the state of reaction interface for Li/S battery were analyzed by cyclic voltammogram and AC-impedance spectra. The results indicated that the sulfur/graphene composite with a sulfur content of 54.94 wt%, based on a two-step synthesis, contributed to improving electrochemical properties of lithium/sulfur battery

Separator coatings as efficient physical and chemical hosts of polysulfides for high-sulfur-loaded rechargeable lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs)are promising alternative energy storage devices to the commercial lithium-ion batteries.However,the LSBs have several limitations including the low electronic conductivity of sulfur(5×10^-30S cm^-1),associated lithium polysulfides(PSs),and their migration from the cathode to the anode.In this study,a separator coated with a Ketjen black(KB)/Nafion composite was used in an LSB with a sulfur loading up to 7.88 mg cm^-2to mitigate the PS migration.A minimum specific capacity(Cs)loss of 0.06%was obtained at 0.2 C-rate at a high sulfur loading of 4.39 mg cm^-2.Furthermore,an initial areal capacity up to 6.70 mAh cm^-2 was obtained at a sulfur loading of 7.88 mg cm^-2.The low Cs loss and high areal capacity associated with the high sulfur loading are attributed to the large surface area of the KB and sulfonate group(SO3^-)of Nafion,respectively,which could physically and chemically trap the PSs.

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Study on Novel Carbon-Sulfur Nano-Composite Cathodes in Lithium Rechargeable Batteries

Carbon-sulfur nano-composite cathodes for lithium rechargeable batteries were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The novel carbon-sulfur nano-composite material was synthesized by heating sublimed sulfur and high surface area activated carbon (HSAAC) in certain conditions. Equivalent circuits were used to fit the spectra at different discharge states. The variations of impedance spectra, charge-transfer resistance and double layer capacitance were discussed. The changes of EIS with potential were analyzed based on a plausible electrical equivalent circuit model, and some parameters were measured and analyzed about electrochemical performance and state of charge and discharge of the electrode. The good accuracy in fitting values of the model to the experimental data indicates that the mathematical model gives out a satisfying description upon the mechanism of high rate of capacity fade in lithium-sulfur battery.

Research Progress on High Specific Energy Cathode Materials for Rechargeable Lithium Sulfur Batteries

An overview of the developing survey, research actuality and the future development of high specific energy and power lithium sulfur rechargeable batteries was presented systemically. By introducing the character of sulfur composite material and discussing some promising cathode materials, it may provide some foundation for people to go deep into researching and empoldering the sulfur composite material.

Template synthesis of MnO_2/CNT nanocomposite and its application in rechargeable lithium batteries

Nanostructured MnO2/CNT composite was synthesized by a soft template approach in the presence of Pluronic P123 surfactant. The product was characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the sample consists of poor crystalline α-MnO2 nanorods with a diameter of about 10 nm and a length of 30-50 nm, which absorb on the carbon nanotubes. The electrochemical properties of the product as cathode material for Li-MnO2 cell are evaluated by galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS）. Compared with pure MnO2 electrode, the MnO2/CNT composite delivers a much larger initial capacity of 275.3 mA-h/g and better rate and cycling performance.

Toward high-sulfur-content,high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries:Review of materials and technologies

Lithium sulfur batteries(LSBs)are recognized as promising devices for developing next-generation energy storage systems.In addition,they are attractive rechargeable battery systems for replacing lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)for commercial use owing to their higher theoretical energy density and lower cost compared to those of LIBs.However,LSBs are still beset with some persistent issues that prevent them from being used industrially,such as the unavoidable dissolution of lithium polysulfide intermediates during electrochemical reactions and large volume expansion(up to 80%)upon the formation of Li_(2)S,resulting in serious battery life and safety limitations.In the process of solving these problems,it is necessary to maintain a high sulfur content in the cathode materials to ensure that the LSBs have high energy densities and excellent cycle performance.In this review,the novel preparation methods and cathode materials used for preparing LSBs in recent years are reviewed considering the sulfur content and cycle performance.In addition,the problems and difficulties in practically applying cathode materials are described,and the development trend is discussed.

Engineering hollow core-shell hetero-structure box to induce interfacial charge modulation for promoting bidirectional sulfur conversion in lithium-sulfur batteries

Severe polysulfide shuttling and sluggish sulfur redox kinetics significantly decrease sulfur utilization and cycling stability in lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs).Herein,we develop a hollow CoO/CoP-Box core-shell heterostructure as a model and multifunctional catalyst modified on separators to induce interfacial charge modulation and expose more active sites for promoting the adsorption and catalytic conversion ability of sulfur species.Theoretical and experimental findings verify that the in-situ formed core-shell hetero-interface induces the formation of P-Co-O binding and charge redistribution to activate surface O active sites for binding lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)via strong Li-O bonding,thus strongly adsorbing with Li PSs.Meanwhile,the strong Li-O bonding weakens the competing Li-S bonding in LiPSs or Li2S adsorbed on CoO/CoP-Box surface,plus the hollow heterostructure provides abundant active sites and fast electron/Li+transfer,so reducing Li2S nucleation/dissolution activation energy.As expected,LSBs with CoO/CoP-Box modified separator and traditional sulfur/carbon black cathode display a large initial capacity of 1240 mA h g^(-1)and a long cycling stability with 300 cycles(~60.1%capacity retention)at 0.5C.Impressively,the thick sulfur cathode(sulfur loading:5.2 mg cm^(-2))displays a high initial areal capacity of 6.9 mA h cm^(-2).This work verifies a deep mechanism understanding and an effective strategy to induce interfacial charge modulation and enhance active sites for designing efficient dual-directional Li-S catalysts via engineering hollow core-shell hetero-structure.

High-Entropy Alloys to Activate the Sulfur Cathode for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Sulfur element possesses an ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity,while the utilization of sulfur in the whole cathode is lower obviously owing to the sluggish kinetics of sulfur and discharged products,limiting the enhancement on energy density of lithium-sulfur batteries.Herein,for the first time,Fe_(0.24)Co_(0.26)Ni_(0.10)Cu_(0.15)Mn_(0.25)high-entropy alloy is introduced as the core catalytic host to activate the electrochemical performance of the sulfur cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries.It is manifested that Fe_(0.24)Co_(0.26)Ni_(0.10)Cu_(0.15)Mn_(0.25)high-entropy alloy nanocrystallites distributed on nitrogen-doped carbon exhibit high electrocatalytic activity toward the conversion of solid sulfur to solid discharged products across soluble intermediate lithium polysulfides.In particular,benefiting from the accelerated kinetics by high-entropy alloy nanocrystallites and synergistic adsorption by nitrogen-doped carbon,the cathode exhibits high reversible capacity of 1079.5 mAh g_(-cathode)^(-1)(high utilization of 89.4%)with the whole cathode as active material,instead of sulfur element.Moreover,under both lean electrolyte(3μmg^(-1))and ultrahigh sulfur loading(27.0 mg cm^(-2))condition,the high discharge capacity of 868.2 mAh g_(-cathode)^(-1)can be still achieved for the sulfur cathode.This strategy opens up a new path to explore catalytic host materials for enhancing the utilization of sulfur in the whole cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries.

Uncovering the solid-phase conversion mechanism via a new range of organosulfur polymer composite cathodes for lithium-sulfur batteries

The sulfur cathodes operating via solid phase conversion of sulfur have natural advantages in suppressing polysulfide dissolution and lowering the electrolyte dosage,and thus realizing significant improvements in both cycle life and energy density.To realize an ideal solid-phase conversion of sulfur,a deep understanding of the regulation path of reaction mechanism and a corresponding intentional material and/or cathode design are highly essential.Herein,via covalently fixing of sulfur onto the triallyl isocyanurate,a series of S-triallyl isocyanurate organosulfur polymer composites(STIs) are developed.Relationship between the structure and the electrochemical conversion behavior of STIs is systematically investigated.It is found that the structure of STIs varies with the synthetic temperature,and correspondingly the electrochemical redox of sulfur can be controlled from conventional "solid-liquid-solid" conversion to the "solid-solid" one.Among the STI series,the STI-5 composite realizes an ideal solid-phase conversion and demonstrates great potential for building a Li-S battery with high-energy density and long-cyclelife:it realizes stable cycling over 1000 cycles in carbonate electrolyte,with a degradation rate of0.053% per cycle;the corresponding pouch cell shows almost no capacity decay for 125 cycles under the conditions of high sulfur loading(4.5 mg cm^(-2)) and lean electrolyte(8 μL mg_s^(-1)).In addition,the tailoring strategy of STI can also apply to other precursors with allyl functional groups to develop new organosulfur polymers for "solid-solid" sulfur cathodes.The vulcanized triallyl phosphate(STP) and triallylamine(STA) both show great lithium storage potential.This strategy successfully develops a new family of organosulfur polymers as cathodes for Li-S batteries via solid-phase conversion of sulfur,and brings insights to the mechanism study in Li-S batteries.

Latest progresses and the application of various electrolytes in high-performance solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries

With the emergence of some solid electrolytes(SSEs)with high ionic conductivity being comparable to liquid electrolytes,solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries(SSLSBs)have been widely regarded as one of the most promising candidates for the next generation of power generation energy storage batteries,and have been extensively researched.Though many fundamental and technological issues still need to be resolved to develop commercially viable technologies,SSLSBs using SSEs are expected to address the present limitations and achieve high energy and power density while improving safety,which is very attractive to large-scale energy storage systems.SSLSBs have been developed for many years.However,there are few systematic discussions related to the working mechanism of action of various electrolytes in SSLSBs and the defects and the corresponding solutions of various electrolytes.To fill this gap,it is very meaningful to review the recent progress of SSEs in SSLSBs.In this review,we comprehensively investigate and summarize the application of SSEs in LSBs to determine the differences which still exist between current progresses and real-world requirements,and comprehensively describe the mechanism of action of SSLSBs,including lithium-ion transport,interfacial contact,and catalytic conversion mechanisms.More importantly,the selection of solid electrolyte materials and the novel design of structures are reviewed and the properties of various SSEs are elucidated.Finally,the prospects and possible future research directions of SSLSBs including designing high electronic/ionic conductivity for cathodes,optimizing electrolytes and developing novel electrolytes with excellent properties,improving electrode/-electrolyte interface stability and enhancing interfacial dynamics between electrolyte and anode,using more advanced test equipment and characterization techniques to analyze conduction mechanism of Li^(+)in SSEs are presented.It is hoped that this review can arouse people’s attention and enlighten the development of functional materials and novel structures of SSEs in the next step.

Mesoporous Graphene Hosts for Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Anode in Working Rechargeable Batteries

Lithium(Li) metal anode has received extensive attentions due to its ultrahigh theoretical capacity and the most negative electrode potential. However, dendrite growth severely impedes the practical applications of the Li metal anode in rechargeable batteries. In this contribution, a mesoporous graphene with a high specific surface area was synthesized to host the Li metal anode. The mesoporous graphene host(MGH) has a high specific surface area(2090 m^2/g), which affords free space and an interconnected conductive pathway for Li plating and stripping, thus alleviating the volume variation and reducing the generation of dead Li during repeated cycles. More importantly, the high specific surface area of MGH efficiently reduces the local current density of the electrode, which favors a uniform Li nucleation and plating behavior, rendering a dendritefree deposition morphology at a low overpotential. These factors synergistically boost the Li utilization(90.1% vs. 70.1% for Cu foil) and life span(150 cycles vs. 100 cycles for Cu foil) with a low polarization of MGH electrode at an ultrahigh current of 15.0 mA/cm^2. The as-prepared MGH can provide fresh insights into the electrode design of the Li metal anode operating at high rates.

Bayesian framework for satellite rechargeable lithium battery synthesizing bivariate degradation and lifetime data

Reliability and remaining useful life(RUL)estimation for a satellite rechargeable lithium battery(RLB)are significant for prognostic and health management(PHM).A novel Bayesian framework is proposed to do reliability analysis by synthesizing multisource data,including bivariate degradation data and lifetime data.Bivariate degradation means that there are two degraded performance characteristics leading to the failure of the system.First,linear Wiener process and Frank Copula function are used to model the dependent degradation processes of the RLB's temperature and discharge voltage.Next,the Bayesian method,in combination with Markov Chain Monte Carlo(MCMC)simulations,is provided to integrate limited bivariate degradation data with other congeneric RLBs'lifetime data.Then reliability evaluation and RUL prediction are carried out for PHM.A simulation study demonstrates that due to the data fusion,parameter estimations and predicted RUL obtained from our model are more precise than models only using degradation data or ignoring the dependency of different degradation processes.Finally,a practical case study of a satellite RLB verifies the usability of the model.

Rechargeable metal(Li, Na, Mg, Al)-sulfur batteries: Materials and advances

Energy and environmental issues are becoming more and more severe and renewable energy storage technologies are vital to solve the problem.Rechargeable metal(Li,Na,Mg,Al)-sulfur batteries with low-cost and earth-abundant elemental sulfur as the cathode are attracting more and more interest for electrical energy storage in recent years.Lithium-sulfur(Li-S),room-temperature sodium-sulfur(RT Na-S),magnesium-sulfur(Mg-S)and aluminum-sulfur(Al-S)batteries are the most prominent candidates among them.Many obvious obstacles are hampering the developments of metal-sulfur batteries.Li-S and Na-S batteries are encumbered mainly by anode dendrite issues,polysulfides shuttle and low conductivity of cathodes.Mg-S and Al-S batteries are short of suitable electrolytes.In this review,relationships between various employed nanostructured materials and electrochemical performances of metal-sulfur batteries have been demonstrated.Moreover,the selections of suitable electrolytes,anode protection,separator modifications and prototype innovations are all crucial to the developments of metal-sulfur batteries and are discussed at the same time.Herein,we give a review on the advances of Li-S,RT Na-S,Mg-S and Al-S batteries from the point of view of materials,and then focus on perspectives of their future developments.

Battery Separators Functionalized with Edge-Rich MoS2/C Hollow Microspheres for the Uniform Deposition of Li2S in High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

As promising energy storage systems,lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries have attracted significant attention because of their ultra-high energy densities.However,Li-S battery suffers problems related to the complex phase conversion that occurs during the charge-discharge process,particularly the deposition of solid Li2S from the liquid-phase polysulfides,which greatly limits its practical application.In this paper,edge-rich MoS2/C hollow microspheres(Edg-MoS2/C HMs)were designed and used to functionalize separator for Li-S battery,resulting in the uniform deposition of Li2S.The microspheres were fabricated through the facile hydrothermal treatment of MoO3-aniline nanowires and a subsequent carbonization process.The obtained Edg-MoS2/C HMs have a strong chemical absorption capability and high density of Li2S binding sites,and exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance and can effectively hinder the polysulfide shuttle effect and guide the uniform nucleation and growth of Li2S.Furthermore,we demonstrate that the Edg-MoS2/C HMs can effectively regulate the deposition of Li2S and significantly improve the reversibility of the phase conversion of the active sulfur species,especially at high sulfur loadings and high C-rates.As a result,a cell containing a separator functionalized with Edg-MoS2/C HMs exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 935 mAh g-1 at 1.0 C and maintained a capacity of 494 mAh g-1 after 1000 cycles with a sulfur loading of 1.7 mg cm-2.Impressively,at a high sulfur loading of 6.1 mg cm-2 and high rate of 0.5 C,the cell still delivered a high reversible discharge capacity of 478 mAh g-1 after 300 cycles.This work provides fresh insights into energy storage systems related to complex phase conversions.