A Robust, Freestanding MXene-Sulfur Conductive Paper for Long-Lifetime Li–S Batteries

Huan Tang, Wenlong Li, Limei Pan, Kejun Tu, Fei Du, Tai Qiu, Jian Yang, Conor P. Cullen, Niall McEvoy, Chuanfang (John) Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

242 Scopus citations

Abstract

Freestanding, robust electrodes with high capacity and long lifetime are of critical importance to the development of advanced lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries for next-generation electronics, whose potential applications are greatly limited by the lithium polysulfide (LiPS) shuttle effect. Solutions to this issue have mostly focused on the design of cathode hosts with a polar, sulfurphilic, conductive network, or the introduction of an extra layer to suppress LiPS shuttling, which either results in complex fabrication procedures or compromises the mechanical flexibility of the device. A robust Ti3C2Tx/S conductive paper combining the excellent conductivity, mechanical strength, and unique chemisorption of LiPSs from MXene nanosheets is reported. Importantly, repeated cycling initiates the in situ formation of a thick sulfate complex layer on the MXene surface, which acts as a protective membrane, effectively suppressing the shuttling of LiPSs and improving the utilization of sulfur. Consequently, the Ti3C2Tx/S paper exhibits a high capacity and an ultralow capacity decay rate of 0.014% after 1500 cycles, the lowest value reported for Li–S batteries to date. A robust prototype pouch cell and full cell of Ti3C2Tx/S paper // lithium foil and prelithiated germanium are also demonstrated. The preliminary results show that Ti3C2Tx/S paper holds great promise for future flexible and wearable electronics.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1901907
JournalAdvanced Functional Materials
Volume29
Issue number30
DOIs
StatePublished - 25 Jul 2019

Keywords

  • Li–S batteries
  • MXene
  • conductive paper
  • polysulfides

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