Tubular C 3 N 4 Nanotubes as Metal-Free Sulfur Hosts toward Stable Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Chaoqi Zhang, Ruifeng Du, Sara Martí-Sánchez, Ke Xiao, Dawei Yang, Chaoyue Zhang, Canhuang Li, Guifang Zeng, Xingqi Chang, Ren He, Jordi Arbiol, Junshan Li, Jordi Jacas Biendicho () and Andreu Cabot ()
Additional contact information
Chaoqi Zhang: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain
Ruifeng Du: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain
Sara Martí-Sánchez: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Ke Xiao: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain
Dawei Yang: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain
Chaoyue Zhang: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain
Canhuang Li: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain
Guifang Zeng: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain
Xingqi Chang: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain
Ren He: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain
Jordi Arbiol: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Junshan Li: Institute of Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, China
Jordi Jacas Biendicho: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain
Andreu Cabot: Catalonia Institute for Energy Research–IREC, Sant Adrià de Besòs, 08930 Barcelona, Spain

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) with high energy density have the potential to replace current commercial lithium-ion batteries. However, the shuttle effect and the low conversion kinetics of lithium polysulfide (LiPS) remain the main challenges in the development of LSBs. In this study, a metal-free and simple-to-prepare carbon nitride with a high surface area and tubular morphology (CN-nt) is used as the sulfur host for LSBs. Due to its unique nanostructure and rich active sites, it not only effectively disperses the active sulfur material and anchors soluble polysulfide species, but it also promotes the nucleation process of Li 2 S, thus achieving fast and sustainable Li-S redox reactions. Experimental results show that the obtained S@CN-nt electrodes exhibit a high sulfur utilization of 1296.2 mAh g −1 at 0.1 C and a significant rate capability of 689.4 mAh g −1 at the high current rate of 3C. More importantly, the capacity retention reaches 87.7% after 500 cycles. This simple strategy of engineering unique carbon-based nanostructured hosts can inspire new ideas for developing cost-effective and metal-free host materials for sulfur-based batteries.

Keywords: carbon nitride; nanotube; nanosheet; lithium–sulfur battery; energy storage material (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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