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Perfluorinated Ionomer‐Enveloped Sulfur Cathodes for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Author(s) -
Song Jongchan,
Choo MinJu,
Noh Hyungjun,
Park JungKi,
Kim HeeTak
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201402789
Subject(s) - cathode , nafion , sulfur , chemical engineering , lithium–sulfur battery , polysulfide , lithium (medication) , materials science , chemistry , ionomer , inorganic chemistry , composite material , electrolyte , electrochemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , polymer , medicine , copolymer , engineering , endocrinology
Nafion is known to suppress the polysulfide (PS) shuttle effect, a major obstacle to achieving high capacity and long cycle life for lithium–sulfur batteries. However, elaborate control of the layer’s configuration is required for high performance. In this regard, we designed a Nafion‐enveloped sulfur cathode, where the Nafion layer is formed on the skin of the cathode, covering its surface and edge while not restricting the porosity. Discharge capacity and efficiency were enhanced with the enveloping configuration, demonstrating suppression of shuttle. The edge protection exhibited better cycling stability than an edge‐open configuration. In the absence of the Nafion envelope, charged sulfur concentrated on the top region of the cathode because of the relatively lower PS concentration at the cathode surface. Surprisingly, for the Nafion‐enveloped cathode, sulfur was evenly distributed along the cathode, indicating that the configuration imparts a uniform PS concentration within the cathode.