Development of Multifunctional Cathode Binder via Inverse Vulcanization for Lithium–Sulfur Battery with Enhanced Capacity Retention

Abstract

Vinyl-benzaldehyde (VB) monomers containing four functional groups were newly synthesized using the Williamson ether synthesis method. The two aldehyde groups of the synthesized monomers were able to react with amine-terminated macromonomers to form flexible networks. In addition, the two vinyl groups were found to be capable of inverse vulcanization with sulfur by conducting qualitative chemical analysis. The lithium–sulfur battery prepared using the VB-based cathode binder achieved high specific capacity with excellent capacity retention compared to conventional sulfur batteries, demonstrating the potential of the new binder.