Microwave-Assisted Fabrication of High Energy Density Binary Metal Sulfides for Enhanced Performance in Battery Applications

Abstract

Nanomaterials have found use in a number of relevant energy applications. In particular, nanoscale motifs of binary metal sulfides can function as conversion materials, similar to that of analogous metal oxides, nitrides, or phosphides, and are characterized by their high theoretical capacity and correspondingly low cost. This review focuses on structure–composition–property relationships of specific relevance to battery applications, emanating from systematic attempts to either (1) vary and alter the dimension of nanoscale architectures or (2) introduce conductive carbon-based entities, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene-derived species. In this study, we will primarily concern ourselves with probing metal sulfide nanostructures generated by a microwave-mediated synthetic approach, which we have explored extensively in recent years. This particular fabrication protocol represents a relatively facile, flexible, and effective means with which to simultaneously control both chemical composition and physical morphology within these systems to tailor them for energy storage applications.

A Promising Approach towards the Commercialization of Lithium Sulfur Batteries: Prelithiated Graphene

“…Lithium metal typically possesses a high density of active sites on its surface, facilitating a larger number of lithium ions to participate in redox reactions. In Li‐Gr, the presence of lithium ions within the Gr layers may lead to a lower density of active sites, thereby limiting the number of available sites for electrochemical reactions [49] …”

“…In Li-Gr, the presence of lithium ions within the Gr layers may lead to a lower density of active sites, thereby limiting the number of available sites for electrochemical reactions. [49]…”