WO3 Nanowire/Carbon Nanotube Interlayer as a Chemical Adsorption Mediator for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

We developed a new nanowire for enhancing the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. In this study, we synthesized WO3 nanowires (WNWs) via a simple hydrothermal method. WNWs and one-dimensional materials are easily mixed with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to form interlayers. The WNW interacts with lithium polysulfides through a thiosulfate mediator, retaining the lithium polysulfide near the cathode to increase the reaction kinetics. The lithium-sulfur cell achieves a very high initial discharge capacity of 1558 and 656 mAh g-1 at 0.1 and 3 C, respectively. Moreover, a cell with a high sulfur mass loading of 4.2 mg cm-2 still delivers a high capacity of 1136 mAh g-1 at a current density of 0.2 C and it showed a capacity of 939 mAh g-1 even after 100 cycles. The WNW/CNT interlayer maintains structural stability even after electrochemical testing. This excellent performance and structural stability are due to the chemical adsorption and catalytic effects of the thiosulfate mediator on WNW.

Achieving High-Performance Li-S Batteries via Polysulfide Adjoining Interface Engineering.

To realize lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries with high energy density, it is crucial to maximize the loading level of sulfur cathode and minimize the electrolyte content. However, excessive amounts of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) generated during the cycling limit the stable operation of Li-S batteries. In this study, a high-loading S cathode with a three-dimensional (3D) network structure is fabricated using a simple pelletizing method, and the exhausting overcharging phenomenon, which occurs in the high-loading Li-S cell, is successively prevented by pretreating the lithium metal anode. Moreover, adding a diluent to the electrolyte containing viscous LiPSs enables the facile conversion between S species during the cycling of high-loading Li-S cells under lean electrolyte conditions. Finally, a prototype Li-S pouch cell with high energy density (427 Wh kg-1) was realized by combining a compacted 3D cathode with a high-loading, pretreated thin lithium metal and diluent-modified electrolyte. We believe that the results reported herein will be a good guideline to establish proper strategies to achieve high energy density Li-S batteries.