New developments in lithium sulfur batteries

Rui Xu; Ilias Belharouak; Xiaofeng Zhang; Bryant Polzin; James C. M. Li

doi:10.1117/12.2016110

28 May 2013 New developments in lithium sulfur batteries

Rui Xu, Ilias Belharouak, Xiaofeng Zhang, Bryant Polzin, James C. M. Li

Proceedings Volume 8728, Energy Harvesting and Storage: Materials, Devices, and Applications IV; 872804 (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2016110
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2013, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

In this work, efforts were conducted in order to mitigate the issue of polysulfides dissolution and hence to improve the capacity and efficiency of Li-sulfur cells. The first approach was achieved by optimizing the amount of sulfur that can be contained in the sulfur/carbon electrode. Five sulfur/carbon ratios were prepared- (1) 50/50, (2) 60/40, (3) 70/30, (4) 80/20, and (5) 90/10- to study the effect of carbon contents on electrochemical cycling. The second approach was by adding nano-sized TiO₂ particles having a large specific surface area as the polysulfide adsorbing agent in the electrodes. The impact of nano-sized TiO₂ particles in improving the electrochemical properties of sulfur electrodes was investigated using CV measurements and charge/discharge tests. To further enhance the efficiency and cycling stability of Li-S batteries, a novel polysulfide electrolyte was developed. This new electrolyte mainly consisted of pre-dissolved lithium polysulfides (Li₂S_x) as an alternative electrolyte salt to replace the lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfone)imide (LiTFSI). We also used LiNO₃ to mitigate the shuttle mechanism that occurs in Li-S cells during the charge and discharge. By creating a dynamic equilibrium at the interface of the cathode and electrolyte, the dissolution of lithium polysulfides, and thus the loss of active materials from the cathode during the discharge and charge of the cell, was greatly prevented.

Citation Download Citation

Rui Xu, Ilias Belharouak, Xiaofeng Zhang, Bryant Polzin, and James C. M. Li "New developments in lithium sulfur batteries", Proc. SPIE 8728, Energy Harvesting and Storage: Materials, Devices, and Applications IV, 872804 (28 May 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2016110

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