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Realizing dual regulation of polysulfides and lithium ions by a versatile separator

一种多功能隔膜实现对多硫离子和锂离子的双重调控

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Abstract

Polysulfide shuttle and lithium dendrite growth severely limit the practical application of lithium−sulfur batteries (LSBs); however, a rational design of a separator can achieve the effect of two birds with one stone. Herein, nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes with dispersed TiN/CoO particles (TCCNT) were designed and applied as a separator modification layer for LSBs. The porous structure of TCCNT can confine the diffusion of soluble polysulfides by physical adsorption first, and then the TiN/CoO particles carried on its surface/inside can not only further anchor the polysulfides via chemisorption but also act as a catalyst to facilitate their conversion. Meanwhile, the good lithophilicity of TiN was beneficial to homogenizing the Li+ fluxes, guiding a uniform deposition of lithium and realizing a stable cycle of the lithium symmetric battery for up to 2000 h at 5 mA cm−2. Ascribed to the rational layout of the TCCNT layer that allows maximization of the synergistic effect between various material components, an LSB equipped with a modified separator displayed satisfactory electrochemical performance in both cases of conventional and high sulfur loadings, demonstrating its practical application potential.

摘要

多硫离子穿梭和锂枝晶生长严重阻碍了锂硫电池的实际应用进 程, 而合理的隔膜结构可以达到一石二鸟的作用. 本工作设计了一种携 带有分散性TiN/CoO颗粒的氮掺杂碳纳米管结构(TCCNT), 并将其用 于锂硫电池隔膜修饰层. TCCNT的多孔结构和表面/内部携带的TiN/CoO颗粒不但实现了对多硫化物的物理、化学吸附和快速催化转化作 用, 其高导电性的空腔结构和亲锂作用还能够均化锂离子流, 在 5 mA cm−2的电流密度下实现长达2000 h的均匀锂沉积/剥离过程. TCCNT合理的结构设计有利于各材料组分之间最大限度地发挥协同 效应. 采用改性隔膜所组装的锂硫电池在常规和高硫载量两种情况下 均表现出较好的电化学性能, 表明其具有一定的实际应用潜力.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22109127), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2021M702666), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (D5000210129), the Youth Project of “Shaanxi High-level Talents Introduction Plan”, and the State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Center of Advanced Lubrication and Seal Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, 710072, China

    Ke Yang  (杨科), Xinwu Xu  (徐新武), Chan Li  (李婵), Fei Zhao  (赵飞), Juan Li  (李娟) & Yibo He  (贺亦柏)

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  1. Ke Yang  (杨科)
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  2. Xinwu Xu  (徐新武)
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  3. Chan Li  (李婵)
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  4. Fei Zhao  (赵飞)
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  5. Juan Li  (李娟)
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  6. Yibo He  (贺亦柏)
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Contributions

Author contributions Yang K and He Y conceived the project and designed the experiments. Yang K performed the experiments, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. Xu X assisted in material preparation. Li C contributed to the data analysis. Zhao F and Li J carried out the microscopy analysis. He Y supervised the work and revised the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yibo He  (贺亦柏).

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Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Supplementary information Supporting data are available in the online version of the paper.

Ke Yang is pursuing a PhD degree at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, under the supervision of Associate Professor Yibo He. His research focuses on the design of MXenes materials for lithium−sulfur batteries.

Yibo He is an associate professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University. She received her PhD degree from Tsukuba University and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. Her current research interests focus on the development of functional materials and rechargeable energy storage systems, including lithium metal batteries and supercapacitors.

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Yang, K., Xu, X., Li, C. et al. Realizing dual regulation of polysulfides and lithium ions by a versatile separator. Sci. China Mater. 67, 116–124 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-023-2695-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-023-2695-5

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