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Spartina anglica-Derived Carbon-Coated PE Separator for Physically Restraining Polysulfide Migration in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

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Abstract

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) have received substantial interest because their theoretical energy density is considerably higher than that of conventional lithium-ion batteries. However, the difficulty in confining the soluble intermediate polysulfide (PS) species of LSBs hinders the prolonged cycling of the cell. In this study, a Spartina anglica-derived carbon-coated polyethylene (PE) separator (SC-coated PE separator), which can confine the PS species on the cathode side, is developed to improve the cycling retention of LSBs. Spartina anglica, which is considered a predominant marine waste, is converted to task-specific carbon materials via size-controlled milling and carbonization, and is embedded on a PE separator through a simple casting process. The SC-coated PE separator improves the electrolyte affinity, which is characterized by measuring the contact angle, electrolyte uptake, and transference number of Li+; consequently, the migration of Li+ is undisturbed in the cell, even if an additional layer is formed on the PE separator. Based on the electrochemical performance, the SC-coated PE separator exhibits a higher initial specific capacity than the PE separator, in addition to a remarkably increased cycling retention (65.3% vs. 27.7%) after 100 cycles. The SC-coated PE separator effectively inhibits the PS species through physical absorption, thereby increasing the utilization of the active sulfur species. Moreover, the SC-coated PE separator presents a relatively stable interfacial morphology of the cycled Li anode, revealing that the comprehensive interfacial stability of the Li–S cell is enhanced by effectively confining the PS species in the cell.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) (NRF-2022R1F1A1069039), and by the Core Research Institute (CRI) Program, the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), Ministry of Education (NRF-2017R1A6A1A06015181).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Batteries Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Incheon National University, 119 Academy-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 22012, Republic of Korea

    Ye Jin Jeon & Taeeun Yim

  2. Research Institute of Basic Sciences, College of Natural Science, Incheon National University, 119 Academy-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 22012, Republic of Korea

    Ye Jin Jeon, Yuna Ha, Jang Kyun Kim, Youn-Jung Kim & Taeeun Yim

  3. Department of Marine Sciences, Incheon National University, Incheon, 22012, Republic of Korea

    Jang Kyun Kim & Youn-Jung Kim

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Jeon, Y.J., Ha, Y., Kim, J.K. et al. Spartina anglica-Derived Carbon-Coated PE Separator for Physically Restraining Polysulfide Migration in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries. Korean J. Chem. Eng. 41, 1187–1196 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-024-00060-1

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