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Research Article

Absorption mechanism of carbon-nanotube paper-titanium dioxide as a multifunctional barrier material for lithium-sulfur batteries

Guiyin Xu1, Jiaren Yuan1, Xinyong Tao2, Bing Ding1, Hui Dou1, Xiaohong Yan1,3( ), Yang Xiao1, Xiaogang Zhang1( )
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Materials and Technology for Energy ConversionCollege of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsNanjing210016China
Department of Materials Science and EngineeringZhejiang University of Technology18 Chaowang Road, Hangzhou310014China
Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency and Micro-Nano Electronics of Jiangsu ProvinceCollege of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and TelecommunicationsNanjing210046China
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Abstract

Lithium-sulfur batteries attract much interest as energy storage devices for their low cost, high specific capacity, and energy density. However, the insulating properties of sulfur and high solubility of lithium polysulfides decrease the utilization of active materials by the battery resulting in poor cycling performance. Herein, we design a multifunctional carbon-nanotube paper/titanium-dioxide barrier which effectively reduces active material loss and suppresses the diffusion of lithium polysulfides to the anode, thereby improving the cycling stability of lithium-sulfur batteries. Using this barrier, an activated carbon/sulfur cathode with 70% sulfur content delivers stable cycling performance and high Coulombic efficiency (~99%) over 250 cycles at a current rate of 0.5 C. The improved electrochemical performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of the carbon nanotube paper and titanium dioxide, involving the physical barrier, chemical adsorption from the binding formation of Ti-S and S-O, and other interactions unique to the titanium dioxide and sulfur species.

Keywords

titanium dioxidecarbon nanotube papermultifunctional barrieradsorptionlithium-sulfur batteries

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Nano Research
Volume 8 Issue 9,
September 2015
Pages 3066-3074
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-015-0812-0
Cite this article:
Xu G, Yuan J, Tao X, et al. Absorption mechanism of carbon-nanotube paper-titanium dioxide as a multifunctional barrier material for lithium-sulfur batteries. Nano Research, 2015, 8(9): 3066-3074. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-015-0812-0

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Received: 15 March 2015
Revised: 02 May 2015
Accepted: 07 May 2015
Published: 14 August 2015
© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015
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