High Mass-Loading Sulfur-Composite Cathode for High Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Abstract

Sulfur remains the focus of attention as a perspective candidate for the cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. First of all, sulfur is cheap and has abundant resources, and secondly, has a high theoretical discharge capacity (1675 mAh g-1). Lithium-sulfur batteries potentially can be applied in the market portable devices and for storage of electrical energy. Nevertheless, implementing Li-S batteries face several difficulties. The challenges are based on low electronic conductivity of sulfur, solubility of polysulfides in the electrolyte and low mass loading of sulfur. Conventional approaches are focused on the loading of sulfur into porous carbon hosts, coating with polymers and encapsulating into various types of carbon materials. This research is aimed to increase mass loading of sulfur in the composite, which in turn requires improvement in the electrical conductivity. The conductivity of sulfur is improved with the use of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer and carbon nanotubes (CNT), while mass loading is increased with the use of carbon fiber paper as a current collector.