Critical Role of Functional Groups Containing N, S, and O on Graphene Surface for Stable and Fast Charging Li-S Batteries
Journal article, 2021
Lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries are considered one of the most promising energy storage technologies, possibly replacing the state‐of‐the‐art lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) batteries owing to their high energy density, low cost, and eco‐compatibility. However, the migration of high‐order lithium polysulfides (LiPs) to the lithium surface and the sluggish electrochemical kinetics pose challenges to their commercialization. The interactions between the cathode and LiPs can be enhanced by the doping of the carbon host with heteroatoms, however with relatively low doping content (<10%) in the bulk of the carbon, which can hardly interact with LiPs at the host surface. In this study, the grafting of versatile functional groups with designable properties (e.g., catalytic effects) directly on the surface of the carbon host is proposed to enhance interactions with LiPs. As model systems, benzene groups containing N/O and S/O atoms are vertically grafted and uniformly distributed on the surface of expanded reduced graphene oxide, fostering a stable interface between the cathode and LiPs. The combination of experiments and density functional theory calculations demonstrate improvements in chemical interactions between graphene and LiPs, with an enhancement in the electrochemical kinetics, power, and energy densities.
lithium-sulfur batteries
surface functionalization
practical energy and power density
graphene
electrolyte lean condition
Author
Jinhua Sun
Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Materials and manufacture
Jang Yeon Hwang
Chonnam National University
Piotr Jankowski
Military University of Technology
Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Linhong Xiao
Umeå University
Jaime Sanchez Sanchez
Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Materials and manufacture
Zhenyuan Xia
National Research Council of Italy (CNR)
Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Materials and manufacture
Suyeong Lee
Chonnam National University
Alexandr V. Talyzin
Umeå University
Aleksandar Matic
Chalmers, Physics, Materials Physics
Vincenzo Palermo
National Research Council of Italy (CNR)
Chalmers, Industrial and Materials Science, Materials and manufacture
Yang-Kook Sun
Hanyang University
Marco Agostini
Chalmers, Physics, Materials Physics
Small
1613-6810 (ISSN) 1613-6829 (eISSN)
Vol. 17 17 20072422D composites research at Chalmers
The Chalmers University Foundation (SC 2017-0099), 2018-01-01 -- 2020-12-31.
Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Physical Chemistry
Biomedical Laboratory Science/Technology
Cancer and Oncology
DOI
10.1002/smll.202007242
Related datasets
Critical Role of Functional Groups Containing N, S, and O on Graphene Surface for Stable and Fast Charging Li‐S Batteries [dataset]
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202007242