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Efficient Ni 2 Co 4 P 3 Nanowires Catalysts Enhance Ultrahigh‐Loading Lithium–Sulfur Conversion in a Microreactor‐Like Battery
Author(s) -
Shen Zihan,
Cao Mengqiu,
Zhang Zili,
Pu Jun,
Zhong Chenglin,
Li Jiachen,
Ma Haixia,
Li Fujun,
Zhu Jia,
Pan Feng,
Zhang Huigang
Publication year - 2020
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.201906661
Subject(s) - microreactor , materials science , catalysis , battery (electricity) , polysulfide , nanowire , lithium–sulfur battery , cathode , electrochemistry , lithium (medication) , chemical engineering , nickel , nanotechnology , cobalt , faraday efficiency , electrode , electrolyte , metallurgy , chemistry , medicine , power (physics) , biochemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , endocrinology , engineering
High‐loading lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries suffer from poor electrochemical properties. Electrocatalysts can accelerate polysulfides conversion and suppress their migration to improve battery cyclability. However, catalysts for Li–S batteries usually lack a rational design. A d‐band tuning strategy is reported by alloying cobalt to metal sites of Ni 2 P to enhance the interaction between polysulfides and catalysts. A molecular or atomic level analysis reveals that Ni 2 Co 4 P 3 is able to weaken the SS bonds and lower the activation energy of polysulfides conversion, which is confirmed with temperature‐dependent experiments. Ni 2 Co 4 P 3 nanowires are further fabricated on a porous nickel scaffold to unfold the catalytic activity by its large surface area. Using a simple ion‐selective filtration shell, a microreactor‐like S cathode (MLSC) is constructed to realize ultrahigh S loading (25 mg cm −2 ). As such, a microreactor design integrates reaction and separation in one cell and can effectively address the polysulfide issues, the MLSC cell demonstrates excellent properties of cyclability and high capacity (1223 mAh g −1 at 0.1 C). More importantly, the catalyst's designs and microreactor strategies provide new approaches for addressing the complicated issues of Li–S batteries.