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Sulfur grown around carbon nanotubes as a cathode material for Li/S battery

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Abstract

Sulfur/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composites have been successfully prepared by an in situ growth strategy as a cathode material for lithium/sulfur battery. The microstructure and morphology of the sulfur/MWCNTs composites are characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). From the results, it is found that the nano-sulfur (shell) grows around the MWCNTs (core) and is well-dispersed over the whole surface of the MWCNTs. Tested by coin type cells, the composite materials exhibited the sulfur utilization approaching to 78% for the first cycle, the capacity retention closing to 84% after 100 cycles at various rates. The excellent electrochemical performance could be attributed to the nano-size sulfur and the homogeneous distribution of sulfur on MWCNTs matrix, resulting from this novel in situ growth method, which not only enhances the reactive activity of sulfur during charge–discharge processes but also provides stable electrical and ionic transfer channels.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the Program for Science & Technology Innovation Talents in Universities of Henan Province, the Key Scientific and Technological Project of Henan Province (122102210234), and the Key Scientific and Technological Project of Xinxiang (ZG13003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, 453007, China

    Shuanbao Tian, Yanhong Yin, Zhaoxia Cao, Hongyun Yue & Shuting Yang

  2. Department of Chemistry Chemical Engineering, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, 453003, China

    Shuanbao Tian

  3. Engineering Technology Research Center of Motive Power and Key Materials, Xinxiang, Henan, 453007, China

    Shuanbao Tian, Yanhong Yin, Zhaoxia Cao, Hongyun Yue & Shuting Yang

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  1. Shuanbao Tian
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  2. Yanhong Yin
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  3. Zhaoxia Cao
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Correspondence to Shuting Yang.

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Tian, S., Yin, Y., Cao, Z. et al. Sulfur grown around carbon nanotubes as a cathode material for Li/S battery. Ionics 24, 33–41 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-017-2165-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-017-2165-z

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