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A modified hierarchical porous carbon for lithium/sulfur batteries with improved capacity and cycling stability

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Abstract

A hierarchical porous carbon material as the conductive matrix in the sulfur cathode for rechargeable lithium batteries is prepared by an in situ two-step activation method using sucrose as the carbon source, CaCO3 as the template, and (CH3COO)2Cu·H2O (Cu(Ac)2) as the additive. The microstructure and morphology of the activated porous sulfur–carbon composite is characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption, and scanning electron microscopy. The functioning mechanism of the additive on the pore formation is investigated using thermogravimetric analysis. Our results establish that thermal decomposition of the nano-CaCO3 template results in the formation of the hierarchical porous carbon structure, and addition of Cu(Ac)2 influences the carbonization process in an un-homogeneous way through the copper ion–sucrose reaction, resulting in the volume increment of small mesopores. The sample obtained shows better sulfur dispersion in the active porous carbon than that synthesized without Cu(Ac)2 involvement, which is attributable to the modified pore structure and enlarged pore volume. Thus, a better utilization of sulfur is achieved and the initial discharge capacity increases from 1,287 to 1,397 mAh g−1. Furthermore, the Li-S battery shows improved cycle stability because of enhanced interaction between the sulfur and the small mesopore.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51202242) and the Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (no. S201124).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Energy Storage Division, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China

    Meiri Wang, Huamin Zhang, Yining Zhang, Jing Li, Fengxiang Zhang & Wen Hu

  2. Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China

    Jing Li

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  1. Meiri Wang
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  2. Huamin Zhang
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  3. Yining Zhang
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  4. Jing Li
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Correspondence to Huamin Zhang.

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Wang, M., Zhang, H., Zhang, Y. et al. A modified hierarchical porous carbon for lithium/sulfur batteries with improved capacity and cycling stability. J Solid State Electrochem 17, 2243–2250 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-013-2096-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-013-2096-1

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