Synthesis of graphitic ordered mesoporous carbon with cubic symmetry and its application in lithium-sulfur batteries

Min Seop Kim, Jinhoo Jeong, Won Il Cho, Woong Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery faces a couple of major problems in practical applications, including the low conductivity of sulfur and the dissolution of polysulfides. A cathode constructed using a composite of sulfur and ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) is a promising solution to both problems, as OMCs can have high conductivity and a complex pore structure to trap polysulfides. In this work, we demonstrate that performance of the Li-S battery can be significantly enhanced by using an OMC with a high degree of graphitization and a pore network with cubic symmetry. This graphitic OMC (GOMC) can be produced in a single step using iron phthalocyanine precursor and a silica template with cubic Ia3d symmetry. The GOMC-sulfur (GOMC/S) composite is 175% higher in electrical conductivity compared to the typical OMC-sulfur (OMC/S) composite. In addition, the three-dimensional pore network in GOMC prevents the migration of dissolved polysulfides. These characteristics of GOMC contribute to the improved rate capability and cyclability of the corresponding Li-S battery.

Original languageEnglish
Article number125401
JournalNanotechnology
Volume27
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016 Feb 18

Keywords

  • battery
  • conductance
  • graphitization
  • lithium-sulfur
  • mesoporous carbon

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Chemistry(all)
  • Materials Science(all)
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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