Anisotropic carbon matrix derived from cellulose aerogel decorated wood plate serving as self- supporting hosts for cathodes in lithium sulfur batteries with enhanced cycling stability

Abstract

Lithium-sulfur batteries, as a promising electrochemical energy storage device, are impeded by sluggish reaction kinetics and poor cycle life under high sulfur loading. Herein, a natural wood disc derived carbon matrix with anisotropic and aligned microchannels decorated with carbonized cellulose aerogel was proposed to serve as a host for self-supporting sulfur/carbon composite cathodes (S/DBWC/CCA) in Li-S batteries. The obtained cathodes were capable of high sulfur areal loading (3.1 and 6.3 mg cm-2). Furthermore, exceptional cycling stabilities were achieved not only under a high current density (1 C) but also under a high sulfur areal loading of 6.3 mg cm-2. The improved performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of the ordered microchannels with low tortuosity and 3D conductive network of carbonized cellulose aerogel. This work provides an ideal host derived from natural resources for viable Li-S batteries with excellent cycling stability, which is a potential strategy for structural design of advanced energy storage devices.