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Xiang Y, Lu L, Zhang Y, Ersek G, Portale G, Li W, Zhang W, Kottapalli AGP, Pei Y. Insights into the aspect ratio effects of ordered mesoporous carbon on the electrochemical performance of sulfur cathode in lithium-sulfur batteries. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 665:286-298. [PMID: 38531274 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.03.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Tailoring porous host materials, as an effective strategy for storing sulfur and restraining the shuttling of soluble polysulfides in electrolyte, is crucial in the design of high-performance lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. However, for the widely studied conductive hosts such as mesoporous carbon, how the aspect ratio affects the confining ability to polysulfides, ion diffusion as well as the performances of Li-S batteries has been rarely studied. Herein, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) is chosen as a proof-of-concept prototype of sulfur host, and its aspect ratio is tuned from over ∼ 2 down to below ∼ 1.2 by using ordered mesoporous silica hard templates with variable length/width scales. The correlation between the aspect ratio of OMCs and the electrochemical performances of the corresponding sulfur-carbon cathodes are systematically studied with combined electrochemical measurements and microscopic characterizations. Moreover, the evolution of sulfur species in OMCs at different discharge states is scrutinized by small-angle X-ray scattering. This study gives insight into the aspect ratio effects of mesoporous host on battery performances of sulfur cathodes, providing guidelines for designing porous host materials for high-energy sulfur cathodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinyu Xiang
- Advanced Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Liqiang Lu
- Advanced Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Yongsheng Zhang
- Physical Chemistry of Polymeric and Nanostructured Materials, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Gabor Ersek
- Physical Chemistry of Polymeric and Nanostructured Materials, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Giuseppe Portale
- Physical Chemistry of Polymeric and Nanostructured Materials, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wenjian Li
- Advanced Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wei Zhang
- Advanced Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ajay Giri Prakash Kottapalli
- Advanced Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Yutao Pei
- Advanced Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Lama FL, Marangon V, Caballero Á, Morales J, Hassoun J. Diffusional Features of a Lithium-Sulfur Battery Exploiting Highly Microporous Activated Carbon. CHEMSUSCHEM 2023; 16:e202202095. [PMID: 36562306 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202202095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Diffusion processes at the electrode/electrolyte interphase drives the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries, and activated carbon (AC) can remarkably vehicle ions and polysulfide species throughout the two-side liquid/solid region of the interphase. We reveal original findings such as the values of the diffusion coefficient at various states of charge of a Li-S battery using a highly porous AC, its notable dependence on the adopted techniques, and the correlation of the diffusion trend with the reaction mechanism. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) are used to identify in the carbon derived from bioresidues heteroatoms such as N, S, O and P, which can increase the polarity of the C framework. The transport properties are measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT). The study reveals Li+ -diffusion coefficient (DLi + ) depending on the technique, and values correlated with the cell state of charge. EIS, CV, and GITT yield a DLi + within 10-7 -10-8 cm2 s-1 , 10-8 -10-9 cm2 s-1 , and 10-6 -10-12 cm2 s-1 , respectively, dropping down at the fully discharged state and increasing upon charge. GITT allows the evaluation of DLi + during the process and evidences the formation of low-conducting media upon discharge. The sulfur composite delivers in a Li-cell a specific capacity ranging from 1300 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C to 700 mAh g-1 at 2C with a S loading of 2 mg cm-2 , and from 1000 to 800 mAh g-1 at 0.2C when the S loading is raised to 6 mg cm-2 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Luna Lama
- Department of Química Inorgánica e Ingeniería Química, Instituto de Química Fina y Nanoquímica, University of Córdoba, 14071, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Vittorio Marangon
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 17, Ferrara, 44121, Italy
- Graphene Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genova, Italy
| | - Álvaro Caballero
- Department of Química Inorgánica e Ingeniería Química, Instituto de Química Fina y Nanoquímica, University of Córdoba, 14071, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Julián Morales
- Department of Química Inorgánica e Ingeniería Química, Instituto de Química Fina y Nanoquímica, University of Córdoba, 14071, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Jusef Hassoun
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 17, Ferrara, 44121, Italy
- Graphene Labs, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genova, Italy
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 17, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
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Soler-Piña FJ, Morales J, Caballero Á. Synergy between highly dispersed Ni nanocrystals and graphitized carbon derived from a single source as a strategy for high performance Lithium-Sulfur batteries. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 640:990-1004. [PMID: 36913837 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Due to their higher energy density, lower prices, and more environmentally friendly active components, Li-S batteries will soon compete with the current Li-ion batteries. However, issues persist that hinder this implementation, such as the poor conductivity of S and sluggish kinetics due to the polysulfide shuttle, among others. Herein, Ni nanocrystals encapsulated in a C matrix are obtained by a novel strategy based on the thermal decomposition of a Ni oleate-oleic acid complex at low-to-moderate temperatures: 500 and 700 °C. The two C/Ni composites were employed as hosts in Li-S batteries. Although the C matrix is amorphous at 500 °C, it is highly graphitized at 700 °C. At this moderate temperature, the simultaneous generation of Ni nanocrystals and the carbon matrix enhances the catalytic activity of Ni toward the graphitization process, which is negligible if starting from a mixture of a Ni salt and carbon source, even when calcined at temperatures as high as 1000 °C. The electrode made from the C/Ni composite obtained at 700 °C exhibits a high reversible capacity and an enhanced rate capability, much better not only than the C/Ni composite obtained at 500 °C but than others based on amorphous C calcined at very high temperatures, around 1000 °C. These properties are attributed to an increase in the electrical conductivity parallel to the ordering of the layers. We believe this work provides a new strategy to design C-based composites capable of combining the formation of nanocrystalline phases and the control of the C structure with superior electrochemical properties for Li-S batteries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Javier Soler-Piña
- Dpto. Química Inorgánica e Ingeniería Química, Instituto Químico para la Energía y el Medioambiente (IQUEMA), Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba 14071, Spain
| | - Julián Morales
- Dpto. Química Inorgánica e Ingeniería Química, Instituto Químico para la Energía y el Medioambiente (IQUEMA), Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba 14071, Spain.
| | - Álvaro Caballero
- Dpto. Química Inorgánica e Ingeniería Química, Instituto Químico para la Energía y el Medioambiente (IQUEMA), Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba 14071, Spain
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Zhong M, Sun J, Shu X, Guan J, Tong G, Ding H, Chen L, Zhou N, Shuai Y. N, P, O-codoped biochar from phytoremediation residues: a promising cathode material for Li-S batteries. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 33:215403. [PMID: 35130531 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac5286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Environment and energy are two key issues in today's society. In terms of environmental protection, the treatment of phytoremediation residues has become a key problem to be solved urgently, while for energy storage, it tends to utilize low-cost and high specific energy storage materials (i.e. porous carbon). In this study, the phytoremediation residues is applied to the storage materials with low-cost and high specific capacity. Firstly, the phosphorous acid assisted pyrolysis of oilseed rape stems from phytoremediation is effective in the removal of Zn, Cu, Cd and Cr from the derived biochar. Moreover, the derived biochar from phytoremediation residues shows abundant porous structure and polar groups (-O/-P/-N), and it can deliver 650 mAh g-1with 3.0 mg cm-2sulfur, and keeps 80% capacity after 200 cycles when employing it as a sulfur host for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Hence, phosphorous acid assisted pyrolysis and application in Li-S battery is a promising approach for the disposal of phytoremediation residues, which is contributed to the environmental protection as well as energy storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei'e Zhong
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingchun Sun
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoqing Shu
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, People's Republic of China
| | - Jindiao Guan
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, People's Republic of China
| | - Gongsong Tong
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Ding
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, People's Republic of China
| | - Liying Chen
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, People's Republic of China
| | - Nan Zhou
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, People's Republic of China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center for Biochar, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Shuai
- School of Resources and Environment, Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha 410083, People's Republic of China
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