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Petroleum coke derived porous carbon/NiCoP with efficient reviving catalytic and adsorptive activity as sulfur host for high performance lithium—sulfur batteries

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Abstract

Sulfur-host material with abundant pore structure and high catalysis plays an important role in development of high-energy-density lithium—sulfur (Li—S) batteries. Herein, we implanted NiCoP nanoparticles into the N,S co-doped porous carbon derived from petroleum coke (PCPC) to fabricate the sulfur-host of PCPC/NiCoP composites. The high specific surface area of PCPC provides abundant adsorption sites for capturing LiPSs and the NiCoP nanoparticles to improve the polarity and boost the LiPSs conversion kinetics of PCPC. The Li—S cells fabricated with PCPC/NiCoP as sulfur-host deliver high discharge capacity of 1,462.7 mAh·g−1 under the current density of 0.1 C and exhibit ultralong lifespan over 800 cycles under the current density of 1, 2, and even 5 C. Additionally, the prepared composites cathodes deliver an outstanding discharge capacity of 932.5 and 826.4 mAh·g−1 at 0.5 and 1 C with a high sulfur loading of over 3.90 mg·cm−2, and remain stable about 60 cycles. Furthermore, the promoted adsorption-conversion process of polysulfides by introducing NiCoP nanoparticles into PCPC was investigated by experimental and theoretical calculation studies. This work offers a new light for tacking the obstacles of porous carbon-based sulfur-host and propelling the development of petroleum coke-based porous carbon for high performance Li—S batteries.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22071135), Academy of Sciences Large Apparatus United Fund of China (No. U1832187), and Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (No. ZR2019MEM030 and ZR2021ZD05).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China

    Bo Zhang, Lu Wang, Bin Wang, Meng Zhang, Yitai Qian & Liqiang Xu

  2. Key Laboratory/Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Energy Storage & Novel Cell Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, 252000, China

    Yanjun Zhai & Shuyuan Zeng

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  1. Bo Zhang
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  2. Lu Wang
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Correspondence to Liqiang Xu.

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Petroleum coke derived porous carbon/NiCoP with efficient reviving catalytic and adsorptive activity as sulfur host for high performance lithium—sulfur batteries

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Zhang, B., Wang, L., Wang, B. et al. Petroleum coke derived porous carbon/NiCoP with efficient reviving catalytic and adsorptive activity as sulfur host for high performance lithium—sulfur batteries. Nano Res. 15, 4058–4067 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3996-5

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