SnO₂as a high-efficiency polysulfide trap in lithium–sulfur batteries

Abstract

The ithium-sulfur battery stands as one of the most promising successors of traditional lithium-ion batteries due to its super high theoretical energy density, but practical application still suffers from the shuttle effect arising from soluble intermediate polysulfides. Here, we report SnO2 as a chemical adsorbent for polysulfides. As an interlayer between the cathode and separator, SnO2 gives better results to prevent the polysulfides from diffusing to the lithium anode than as a modifier of the carbon matrix directly. The lithium-sulfur battery with an SnO2 interlayer delivers an initial reversible capacity of 996 mA h g(-1) and retains 832 mA h g(-1) at the 100(th) discharge at 0.5 C, with a fading rate of only 0.19% per cycle. The improvements benefit from the quasi-open space provided by the interlayer configuration for the diffused sulfur species, which can largely relieve the loss of active substances caused by the volume effect during the lithiation/delithiation process.

Chemical Immobilization Effect on Lithium Polysulfides for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

“…Some of the metallic particles could be anchored on the carbon materials and provide active point to absorb the polysulfides. The semiconductive oxide, sulfides, MXene, nitride, and hydroxide are reported as host materials for sulfur accommodation dependently due to the high conductivity for electron of these semiconductors . Besides, the formation of surface‐bond intermediates between sulfur atoms and the special function groups/atoms on the host could improve the cycling stability .…”

Phosphorus Enhanced Intermolecular Interactions of SnO2 and Graphene as an Ultrastable Lithium Battery Anode

“…Rechargeable lithium ion batteries (LIBs) based on graphite/LiCoO 2 , since the initial introduction by the Sony corporation, have been widely applied in portable electronic devices and created a revolution in battery technology as well as a marked swing away from the relatively low‐voltage, water‐based systems such as nickel–cadmium and nickel–metal hydride batteries and high‐temperature systems due to their high energy densities, high energy efficiencies and a long life span . However, graphite with a low theoretical capacity of 372 mAh g −1 results in a device energy density of about 150 Wh kg −1 , which is far from the electric vehicles requirements.…”

Graphene Oxide/Carbon Nanotube Bilayer Flexible Membrane for High‐Performance Li–S Batteries with Superior Physical and Electrochemical Properties

“…[8] In order to secure cost effectiveness, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been considered one of the most attractive energy storage systems because of their high theoretical capacity (1672 mAh g −1 ), energy density (2600 Wh kg −1 ), nontoxicity, low cost, and the natural abundance of sulfur. [11,12] To resolve these issues, most studies have focused on fabricating an inhibitor to trap the lithium polysulfides in the cathode side through chemical/physical adsorption, such as the interlayer inserted between the sulfur electrode and the separator with a metal oxide, [13][14][15] conductive carbon material, [16] polymers, [17][18][19][20][21][22] Al 2 O 3 , [23][24][25][26] Ni foam, [27,28] CoS 2 , [29,30] and metal carbide. In particular, the shuttle phenomenon is caused by the high solubility of the lithium polysulfide intermediate (Li 2 S X , 2 < X ≤ 8) in the electrolyte.…”