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Research Article

Immobilizing VN ultrafine nanocrystals on N-doped carbon nanosheets enable multiple effects for high-rate lithium–sulfur batteries

Ning Song1, Baojuan Xi1( ), Peng Wang1, Xiaojian Ma1, Weihua Chen2, Jinkui Feng3, Shenglin Xiong1( )
Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of EducationSchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong UniversityJinan 250100 China
Key Laboratory of Material Processing and Mold of Ministry of Education Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou 450001 China
Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution & Processing of Materials Ministry of Education School of Materials Science and Engineering Shandong UniversityJinan 250061 China
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Abstract

The exploitation of new sulfiphilic and catalytic materials is considered as the promising strategy to overcome severe shuttle effect and sluggish kinetics conversion of lithium polysulfides within lithium−sulfur batteries. Herein, we design and fabricate monodisperse VN ultrafine nanocrystals immobilized on nitrogen-doped carbon hybrid nanosheets (VN@NCSs) via an one-step in-situ self- template and self-reduction strategy, which simultaneously promotes the interaction with polysulfides and the kinetics of the sulfur conversion reactions demonstrated by experimental and theoretical results. By virtue of the multifunctional structural features of VN@NCSs, the cell with ultrathin VN@NCSs (only 5 μm thickness) modified separator indicates improved electrochemical performances with long cycling stability over 1, 000 cycles at 2 C with only 0.041% capacity decay per cycle and excellent rate capability (787.6 mAh·g−1 at 10 C). Importantly, it delivers an areal reversible capacity of 3.71 mAh·cm−2 accompanied by robust cycling life.

Keywords

VN nanocrystalspolysulfide transformationshuttle effectlithium−sulfur batteries

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Nano Research
Volume 15 Issue 2,
February 2022
Pages 1424-1432
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-021-3681-8
Cite this article:
Song N, Xi B, Wang P, et al. Immobilizing VN ultrafine nanocrystals on N-doped carbon nanosheets enable multiple effects for high-rate lithium–sulfur batteries. Nano Research, 2022, 15(2): 1424-1432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3681-8
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Received: 16 May 2021
Revised: 11 June 2021
Accepted: 14 June 2021
Published: 28 July 2021
© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021
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