S-doped mesoporous graphene modified separator for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries
Xinlong Ma, Chenggen Xu, Yin Yang, Dong Sun, Kai Zhao, Changbo Lu, Peng Jin, Yiting Chong, Sirawit Pruksawan, Zhihua Xiao, Fuke Wang
Abstract
Due to its low cost, environmental friendliness and high energy density, the lithium-sulfur battery (LSB) has been regarded as a promising alternative for the next generation of rechargeable battery systems. However, the practical application of LSB is seriously hampered by its short cycle life and high self-charge owing to the apparent shuttle effect of soluble lithium polysulfides. Using MgSO4@MgO composite as both template and dopant, template-guided S-doped mesoporous graphene (SMG) is prepared via the fluidized-bed chemical vapor deposition method. As the polypropylene (PP) modifier, SMG with high specific surface area, abundant mesoporous structures and moderate S doping content offers a wealth of physical and chemical adsorptive sites and reduced interfacial contact resistance, thereby restraining the serious shuttle effects of lithium polysulfides. Consequently, the LSB configured with mesoporous graphene (MG) as S host material and SMG as a separator modifier exhibits an enhanced electrochemical performance with a high average capacity of 955.64 mA h g-1 at 1C and a small capacity decay rate of 0.109% per cycle. Additionally, the density functional theory (DFT) calculation models have been rationally constructed and demonstrated that the doped S atoms in SMG possess higher binding energy to lithium polysulfides than that in MG, indicating that the SMG/PP separator can effectively capture soluble lithium polysulfides via chemical binding forces. This work would provide valuable insight into developing a versatile carbon-based separator modifier for LSB.