Mesoporous Carbon-Based Materials for Enhancing the Performance of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Abstract

The most promising energy storage devices are lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), which offer a high theoretical energy density that is five times greater than that of lithium-ion batteries. However, there are still significant barriers to the commercialization of LSBs, and mesoporous carbon-based materials (MCBMs) have attracted much attention in solving LSBs’ problems, due to their large specific surface area (SSA), high electrical conductivity, and other unique advantages. The synthesis of MCBMs and their applications in the anodes, cathodes, separators, and “two-in-one” hosts of LSBs are reviewed in this study. Most interestingly, we establish a systematic correlation between the structural characteristics of MCBMs and their electrochemical properties, offering recommendations for improving performance by altering the characteristics. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of LSBs under current policies are also clarified. This review provides ideas for the design of cathodes, anodes, and separators for LSBs, which could have a positive impact on the performance enhancement and commercialization of LSBs. The commercialization of high energy density secondary batteries is of great importance for the achievement of carbon neutrality and to meet the world’s expanding energy demand.

Exploiting Natural Diatom Shells as an Affordable Polar Host for Sulfur in Li-S Batteries

“…Many investigations have focused on a range of host materials, from diverse carbon structures to semiconductive metal oxides, in a bid to encapsulate sulfur and combat capacity fading during cycling [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. For example, carbon materials such as hollow porous carbon, graphene, mesoporous carbon, and microporous carbon have been evaluated, largely due to their effective electron transfer capabilities and intricate porous nanostructures [8][9][10]. These characteristics render them adept sulfur hosts, which can substantially bolster the performance of Li-S batteries.…”

Graphene Nanocomposites as Innovative Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion—Design and Headways

“…Moreover, graphene has good electron conductivity and charge-storing properties that are useful for cutting-edge energy and electronic applications like energy production, storage, sensors, electronics, etc. [5][6][7]. The high surface area, electrical, and electrochemical characteristics have been found to be suitable for designing supercapacitor electrodes for charge storage [8].…”

Multifunctional flame‐retardant co‐based interlayer for improving lithium−sulphur batteries performance

“…[1] However, because of the content gradient difference, the dissolution of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) in electrolyte causes the shuttle effect, leading to a rapid decline in capacity. [2,3] The separator, acting as the vital site for LiPSs shuttling, holds potential for effective modifications that can inhibit the shuttle effect via physical and chemical adsorption, such as coating with carbon matrix and metal compounds. [4,5] Nevertheless, the insulating nature of sulphur results in sluggish kinetics and severe polarization, which cause low sulphur utilization and poor rate performance.…”