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A dual-functional poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(lithium acrylate) composite nanofiber separator for ionic shielding of polysulfides enables high-rate and ultra-stable Li-S batteries

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Abstract

Despite the high theoretical specific capacity, the main challenges of rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, including the unceasing shuttle of soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and severe Li corrosion, seriously hinder their commercial and practical applications. Herein, a bifunctional polyvinyl alcohol/poly(lithium acrylate) (C-PVA/PAA-Li) composite nanofiber separator is developed to address the main challenges in Li-S batteries by simultaneously allowing rapid lithium ion transport and ionic shielding of polysulfides. The C-PVA/PAA-Li composite nanofiber membrane is prepared via the facile electrospinning strategy, followed by thermal crosslinking and in-situ lithiation processes. Differing from the conventional Celgard-based coating methods accompanied by impaired lithium ion transport efficiency, the C-PVA/PAA-Li composite nanofiber membrane possesses well-developed porous structures and high ionic conductivity, thus synergistically reducing the charge transfer resistance and inhibiting the growth of lithium dendrites. The resulting Li-S batteries exhibit an ultra-low fading rate of 0.08% per cycle after 400 cycles at 0.2 C, and a capacity of 633 mAhg−1 at a high current density of 3 C. This study presents an inspiring and promising strategy to fabricate emerging dual-functional separators, which paves the pathway for the practical implementation of ultra-stable and reliable Li-S battery systems.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21604010), the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (No. 18ZR1401600), “Chenguang Program” supported by Shanghai Education Development Foundation and Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (No. 16CG39), and Shanghai Scientific and Technological Innovation Project (No. 18JC1410600).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, 2999 North Renmin Road, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Chunyang Zhou, Xiaobo Zhu, Kai Chen, Yue Ouyang, Yue-E Miao & Tianxi Liu

  2. Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Tianxi Liu

  3. Research Center for Analysis and Measurement, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Yue Wu

  4. Bristol Composites Institute (ACCIS), Department of Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s Building, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK

    Jing Wang

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  1. Chunyang Zhou
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Correspondence to Yue-E Miao.

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A dual-functional poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(lithium acrylate) composite nanofiber separator for ionic shielding of polysulfides enables high-rate and ultra-stable Li-S batteries

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Zhou, C., Wang, J., Zhu, X. et al. A dual-functional poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(lithium acrylate) composite nanofiber separator for ionic shielding of polysulfides enables high-rate and ultra-stable Li-S batteries. Nano Res. 14, 1541–1550 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-020-3213-y

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