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Tailoring Surface Acidity of Metal Oxide for Better Polysulfide Entrapment in Li‐S Batteries
Author(s) -
Wang Xiwen,
Gao Tao,
Fan Xiulin,
Han Fudong,
Wu Yiqing,
Zhang Zhian,
Li Jie,
Wang Chunsheng
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201602264
Subject(s) - polysulfide , chemisorption , materials science , heteroatom , faraday efficiency , adsorption , sulfur , chemical engineering , doping , oxide , metal , cathode , surface modification , nanotechnology , inorganic chemistry , electrolyte , chemistry , organic chemistry , electrode , metallurgy , ring (chemistry) , optoelectronics , engineering
The polysulfide shuttle reaction has severely limited practical applications of Li‐S batteries. Recently, functional materials that can chemically adsorb polysulfide show significant enhancement in cycling stability and Coulombic efficiency. However, the mechanism of the chemisorption and the control factors governing the chemisorption are still not fully understood. Here, it is demonstrated for the first time that the surface acidity of the host material plays a crucial role in the chemisorption of polysulfide. By tailoring the surface acidity of TiO 2 via heteroatom doping, the polysulfide‐TiO 2 interaction can be fortified and thus significantly the capacity fading be reduced to 0.04% per cycle. The discovery presented here sheds light on the mechanism of this interfacial phenomenon, and opens a new avenue that can lead to a practical sulfur/host composite cathode.