Aerosol-assisted synthesis of porous and hollow carbon-carbon nanotube composite microspheres as sulfur host materials for high-performance Li-S batteries

Gi Dae Park, Yun Chan Kang

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    22 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Spherical carbon materials with porous and hollow structures have been developed as efficient sulfur host materials for Li[sbnd]S batteries through various synthetic strategies. However, nanostructured carbon materials, generally synthesized by liquid solution processes, have disadvantages of low electrical conductivity as sulfur host materials. In this study, highly porous hollow carbon-carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite microspheres, with a high loading rate of ultrafine S and high electrical conductivity, are designed and successfully synthesized by an aerosol-assisted process (ultrasonic spray pyrolysis) as efficient sulfur host materials. The carbon-CNTs composite microspheres, with a high sulfur loading rate of 70 wt%, exhibit superior electrochemical performance as a cathode compared to that of S-loaded CNTs balls for Li[sbnd]S batteries. The S-loaded carbon-CNTs composite microspheres exhibit a discharge capacity of 697 mA h g−1 for the 250th cycle at a current density of 1.0C and show high reversible discharge capacities of 685 mA h g−1, even at a high current density of 3.0C. The outstanding cycling and rate performance of S-loaded carbon-CNTs composite microspheres are attributed to the structural flexibility of the hollow structure, loading of ultrafine sulfur in micro- and mesopores of dextrin-derived carbon, and good electrical conductivity due to uniformly dispersed CNTs.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number143637
    JournalApplied Surface Science
    Volume495
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2019 Nov 30

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education ( 2017R1D1A1B03034473 and NRF-2017R1A4A1014806 ).

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2019

    Keywords

    • Carbon nanotube
    • Hollow carbon
    • Li-S batteries
    • Porous structure
    • Spray pyrolysis

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Chemistry
    • Condensed Matter Physics
    • General Physics and Astronomy
    • Surfaces and Interfaces
    • Surfaces, Coatings and Films

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