Flexible sulfur wires (Flex-SWs)—A new versatile platform for lithium-sulfur batteries

• Published in: Electrochimica acta Vol. 212; no. C; pp. 286 - 293
• Main Authors: Hanumantha, Prashanth Jampani, Gattu, Bharat, Shanthi, Pavithra Murugavel, Damle, Sameer Satish, Basson, Ziev, Bandi, Ramalinga, Datta, Moni Kanchan, Park, Sungkyoo, Kumta, Prashant N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Elsevier Ltd 10-09-2016; Elsevier
• Subjects: Electrospinning; Flexible electrodes; Lithium-Sulfur; Sulfur fibers; Textile battery; Electrospinning; Textile battery; Sulfur fibers; Lithium-Sulfur; Flexible electrodes
• ISSN: 0013-4686; 1873-3859
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2016.06.130

A simple electrospinning methodology is described for generating novel fiber configurations of sulfur for use in lithium-sulfur batteries. Such flexible sulfur wire materials when converted into pellets of sulfur electrodes, exhibit very stable capacities over 135 cycles with high areal capacities (∼2.5mAh/cm2). Coating the electrodes with an inorganic lithium ion conductor coating results in electrodes exhibiting ∼650mAh/g capacity and an impressive low fade rate of ∼0.003% fade/cycle.
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•Flexible sulfur wires (Flex-SW) generated using a simple electrospinning process.•Areal capacities of of ∼2.75mAh/cm2 with excellent stability upto 135 cycles observed.•Lithium ion conductor (LIC) coating on the Flex-SWs yield capacities of ∼620mAh/g.•LIC coated Flex-SWs exhibit exceptionally low fade rate of 0.003%/cycle.
A simple electrospinning methodology is described for generating novel fiber configurations of sulfur with the potential of yielding high performance sulfur electrodes for use in lithium-sulfur batteries. The unique fiber morphology derived by electrospinning has the capability of generating flexible sulfur yarns for the first time rendering them a highly attractive platform for small-scale mobile device applications such as textile-batteries. The electrospinning methodology reported herein also allows for the formation of a polymer-sulfur interface which acts as a physical barrier to liquid lithium electrolyte facilitating the reduction of polysulfide dissolution, a primary barrier to the progress of Li-S systems. Such flexible sulfur wire materials when converted into pellet sulfur electrodes, exhibit very stable capacities over 135 cycles with high areal capacities (∼2.5mAhcm−2). Coating the electrodes with an inorganic lithium ion conductor coating results in further improvement of cycling behavior with electrodes of ∼650mAhg−1 capacity and an impressive low fade rate of ∼0.003% fade cycle−1 demonstrating the promise of this unique platform.