Critical Role of Functional Groups Containing N, S, and O on Graphene Surface for Stable and Fast Charging Li‐S Batteries

Abstract

Lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries are considered one of the most promising energy storage technologies, possibly replacing the state‐of‐the‐art lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) batteries owing to their high energy density, low cost, and eco‐compatibility. However, the migration of high‐order lithium polysulfides (LiPs) to the lithium surface and the sluggish electrochemical kinetics pose challenges to their commercialization. The interactions between the cathode and LiPs can be enhanced by the doping of the carbon host with heteroatoms, however with relatively low doping content (<10%) in the bulk of the carbon, which can hardly interact with LiPs at the host surface. In this study, the grafting of versatile functional groups with designable properties (e.g., catalytic effects) directly on the surface of the carbon host is proposed to enhance interactions with LiPs. As model systems, benzene groups containing N/O and S/O atoms are vertically grafted and uniformly distributed on the surface of expanded reduced graphene oxide, fostering a stable interface between the cathode and LiPs. The combination of experiments and density functional theory calculations demonstrate improvements in chemical interactions between graphene and LiPs, with an enhancement in the electrochemical kinetics, power, and energy densities.

Calcium Carbonate@silica Composite with Superhydrophobic Properties

“…Thermogravimetry can be used to test the thermal stability of materials [ 62 , 63 ]. The TGA curves comparison between cubic calcium carbonate, spherical calcium carbonate and the composite material are shown in Figure 6 .…”

“…The second weight loss between 610 °C and 790 °C is due to undecomposed, so the weight loss rate is only about 34.8~35.7%. Thermogravimetry can be used to test the thermal stability of materials [62,63]. The TGA curves comparison between cubic calcium carbonate, spherical calcium carbonate and the composite material are shown in Figure 6.…”

Review of Cathode in Advanced Li−S Batteries: The Effect of Doping Atoms at Micro Levels

“…For the co‐existence of doped atoms and compounds in cathode material, it has been proved that the presence of doped atoms (such as N, S, O) on the surface of carbon substrate can boost the interaction between various Li 2 S n and the electrode surface, or improve the interface properties of compounds and polysulfides. This strategy not only ensures the uniform growth of the polar compounds on the surface of the substrate but also further enhances the catalytic effect to suppress the shuttle effect and improve the poor redox kinetics [94,95] . Yang et al [96] .…”

The Combination of 2D Layered Graphene Oxide and 3D Porous Cellulose Heterogeneous Membranes for Nanofluidic Osmotic Power Generation

“…For example, we found that the interlayer distance of GO increase to 8.9 Å from 6.5 Å after intercalation of one layer of acetonitrile molecules, and expand to 12.7 Å with the intercalation of another layer of solvent molecules, and further increase to 16.4 Å after the co-intercalation of ions [ 28 ]. In addition, we also demonstrated that the addition of molecules (e.g, aminobenzene) with a larger size than solvent molecules and ions results in an enlarged interlayer distance with permanent size [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”