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Research Article

Bio-inspired construction of electrocatalyst decorated hierarchical porous carbon nanoreactors with enhanced mass transfer ability towards rapid polysulfide redox reactions

Shijie Zhang1,2,3, Yongshang Zhang1,2,3, Guosheng Shao1,2,3( ), Peng Zhang1,2,3( )
School of Materials Science and Engineering Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450001 China
State Centre for International Cooperation on Designer Low-Carbon & Environmental Materials (CDLCEM) Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue AvenueZhengzhou 450001 China
Zhengzhou Materials Genome Institute Building 2, Zhongyuanzhigu, Xingyang 450100 China
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Graphical Abstract

Abstract

Li-S batteries are considered as a highly promising candidate for the next-generation energy storage system, attributing to their tremendous energy density. However, the two-dimensional island nucleation-growth process of lithium sulfide leads to a thick insulating film covering the electrode, inducing slow electrons transfer and mass-transfer of ions and liquid sulfur species in working Li-S cells. Here, we demonstrate a bio-inspired strategy of constructing ant-nest-like hierarchical porous ultrathin carbon nanosheet networks with the implants of metallic nanoparticles electrocatalysts (HPC-MEC) as efficient nanoreactors enabling rapid mass transfer, via a simple and green NaCl template. Such nanoreactors with a large active surface area could effectively anchor polysulfides for mitigating the shuttle effect, facilitating uniformly thin Li2S film, and promoting the mass transfer for fast sulfur species conversions. This helps contribute to a continuously high sulfur utilization in Li-S batteries with the HPC-MEC reactors. As a typical exhibition, cobalt embedded hierarchical porous carbon (HPC-Co) could realize to deliver a remarkably high specific capacity of 1, 540.6 mAh·g-1, an excellent rate performance of 878.8 mAh·g-1 at 2 C, and high area capacity of 11.6 mAh·cm-2 at a high sulfur load of 10 mg·cm-2 and low electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 5 μL·mg-1.

Keywords

sulfur species reactorhierarchical porous carbon networkelectrocatalysthigh sulfur loadinglow electrolyte/sulfur ratio

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Nano Research
Volume 14 Issue 11,
November 2021
Pages 3942-3951
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-021-3319-x
Cite this article:
Zhang S, Zhang Y, Shao G, et al. Bio-inspired construction of electrocatalyst decorated hierarchical porous carbon nanoreactors with enhanced mass transfer ability towards rapid polysulfide redox reactions. Nano Research, 2021, 14(11): 3942-3951. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3319-x
Topics:
Biomimetics CarbonElectrocatalystsElectrolytesEnergy storageLithium sulfur batteriesMicrobial fuel cellsPolysulfidesPorous materialsRedox reactionsRegenerative fuel cellsSulfur compounds

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Received: 25 October 2020
Revised: 15 December 2020
Accepted: 10 January 2021
Published: 10 February 2021
© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021
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