Open AccessDirect electrochemical generation of supercooled sulfur microdroplets well below their melting temperature
Author(s) -
Nian Liu,
Guangmin Zhou,
Ankun Yang,
Xiaoyun Yu,
Feifei Shi,
Jie Sun,
Jinsong Zhang,
Bofei Liu,
Chun-Lan Wu,
Xinyong Tao,
Yongming Sun,
Yi Cui,
Steven Chu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.1817286116
Subject(s) - supercooling , nucleation , sulfur , electrochemistry , chemistry , chemical physics , crystallization , electrochemical cell , redox , materials science , electrode , thermodynamics , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , physics
Supercooled liquid sulfur microdroplets were directly generated from polysulfide electrochemical oxidation on various metal-containing electrodes. The sulfur droplets remain liquid at 155 °C below sulfur's melting point ( T m = 115 °C), with fractional supercooling change ( T m - T sc )/ T m larger than 0.40. In operando light microscopy captured the rapid merging and shape relaxation of sulfur droplets, indicating their liquid nature. Micropatterned electrode and electrochemical current allow precise control of the location and size of supercooled microdroplets, respectively. Using this platform, we initiated and observed the rapid solidification of supercooled sulfur microdroplets upon crystalline sulfur touching, which confirms supercooled sulfur's metastability at room temperature. In addition, the formation of liquid sulfur in electrochemical cell enriches lithium-sulfur-electrolyte phase diagram and potentially may create new opportunities for high-energy Li-S batteries.
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