Thermal properties of single wall carbon nanotube sheets (SWCNT-sheets) are of significant importance in the area of thermal management, as an isolated SWCNT possesses high thermal conductivity of the value about 3000 W m(-1) K(-1). Here we report an indirect method of estimating the thermal conductivity of a nanometer thick suspended SWCNT-sheet by employing the Raman scattering technique. Tube diameter size is examined by the transmissions electron microscopy study. The Raman analysis of the radial breathing modes predicts narrow diameter size distribution with achiral (armchair) symmetry of the constituent SWCNTs. From the first order temperature coefficient of the A1g mode of the G band along with the laser power dependent frequency shifting of this mode, the thermal conductivity of the suspended SWCNT-sheet is estimated to be about ∼18.3 W m(-1) K(-1). Our theoretical study shows that the thermal conductivity of the SWCNT-sheet has contributions simultaneously from the intratube and intertube thermal transport. The intertube thermal conductivity (with contributions from the van der Waals interaction) is merely around 0.7 W m(-1) K(-1), which is three orders smaller than the intratube thermal conductivity, leading to an abrupt decrease in the thermal conductivity of the SWCNT-sheet as compared to the reported value for isolated SWCNT.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries could potentially revolutionize the rechargeable battery market due to their high energy density and low cost. However, low active material utilization, electrode volumetric expansion and a high rate of capacity fade due to the dissolution of lithium polysulfide intermediates in the liquid electrolyte are the main challenges facing further Li-S battery development. Here, we enhanced Li-S batteries active material utilization and decreased the volumetric expansion by using the lithium/dissolved polysulfide configuration. Moreover, a novel class of cathode materials, Titanium Nitride (TiN), was developed for polysulfide conversion reactions. The surface chemical environment of the TiN has been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The existence of S-TiN bonding at the cathode electrode surface was observed, which indicates the strong interactions between TiN and polysulfides. Therefore, the TiN electrode retains the sulfur species on the cathode surface, minimizing the active material and surface area loss and consequently, improves the capacity retention. The resultant cells demonstrated a high initial capacity of 1,524 mAh g-1 and a good capacity retention for 100 cycles at a C/10 current rate.

Metal carbides nanostrcutures to stabilize polysulfide shuttle which is a key bottleneck for practical applications of Li–S battery.