Fe3O4-doped mesoporous carbon cathode with a plumber’s nightmare structure for high-performance Li-S batteries
Han Zhang, Mengtian Zhang, Ruiyi Liu, Tengfeng He, Luoxing Xiang, Xinru Wu, Zhihong Piao, Yeyang Jia, Chongyin Zhang, Hong Li, Fugui Xu, Guangmin Zhou, Yiyong Mai
Abstract
Abstract Shuttling of lithium polysulfides and slow redox kinetics seriously limit the rate and cycling performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. In this study, Fe 3 O 4 -dopped carbon cubosomes with a plumber’s nightmare structure (SP-Fe 3 O 4 -C) are prepared as sulfur hosts to construct cathodes with high rate capability and long cycling life for Li-S batteries. Their three-dimensional continuous mesochannels and carbon frameworks, along with the uniformly distributed Fe 3 O 4 particles, enable smooth mass/electron transport, strong polysulfides capture capability, and fast catalytic conversion of the sulfur species. Impressively, the SP-Fe 3 O 4 -C cathode exhibits top-level comprehensive performance, with high specific capacity (1303.4 mAh g − 1 at 0.2 C), high rate capability (691.8 mAh gFe 3 O 4 1 at 5 C), and long cycling life (over 1200 cycles). This study demonstrates a unique structure for high-performance Li-S batteries and opens a distinctive avenue for developing multifunctional electrode materials for next-generation energy storage devices.