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Conductive Nanocrystalline Niobium Carbide as High‐Efficiency Polysulfides Tamer for Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries
Author(s) -
Cai Wenlong,
Li Gaoran,
Zhang Kailong,
Xiao Guannan,
Wang Can,
Ye Kefen,
Chen Zhongwei,
Zhu Yongchun,
Qian Yitai
Publication year - 2018
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.201704865
Subject(s) - materials science , nanocrystalline material , electrochemistry , sulfur , lithium (medication) , carbide , nanotechnology , lithium–sulfur battery , battery (electricity) , autoclave , chemical engineering , electrode , composite material , metallurgy , medicine , endocrinology , power (physics) , chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Rational design of functional interlayer is highly significant in pursuit of high‐performance Li‐S batteries. Herein, a nanocrystalline niobium carbide (NbC) is developed via a facile and scalable autoclave technology, which is, for the first time, employed as the advanced interlayer material for Li‐S batteries. Combining the merits of strong polysulfides (PS) anchoring with high electric conductivity, the NbC‐coated membrane enables efficiently tamed PS shuttling and fast sulfur electrochemistry, achieving outstanding cyclability with negligible capacity fading rate of 0.037% cycle −1 over 1500 cycles, superb rate capability up to 5 C, high areal capacity of 3.6 mA h cm −2 under raised sulfur loading, and reliable operation even in soft‐package cells. This work offers a facile and effective method of promoting Li‐S batteries for practical application.