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Effects of porous structure of carbon hosts on preparation and electrochemical performance of sulfur/carbon composites for lithium–sulfur batteries

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Abstract

Three kinds of carbon hosts, Ketjenblack (KB, high surface area and porosity), black pearls 2000 (BP2000, high surface area and moderate porosity), and ordered mesoporous carbon nanospheres (OMCN, low surface area and porosity), have been used as conductive hosts in the sulfur/carbon (S/C) composite cathodes for lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. To correlate the carbon properties (surface area and pore volume), the electrochemical performances of S/C composite cathodes with the same sulfur content (60 wt%) have been investigated in detail. S/KB and S/BP2000 composites with high surface porosity can provide more reactive sites for sulfur, which can result in increasing the utilization rate of sulfur, reducing the polarization, and improving the high-rate capability. Large pore volume can effectively capture the polysulfide species and improve easy passages for ion transport, which can promote long-term cycling stability and reduce the resistance of Li–S batteries.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21006033 and 51372060) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2013HGCH0002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hefei Univeristy of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China

    Tuliang Wang, Pengcheng Shi, Jingjuan Chen, Sheng Cheng & Hongfa Xiang

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  1. Tuliang Wang
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  2. Pengcheng Shi
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  3. Jingjuan Chen
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  4. Sheng Cheng
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  5. Hongfa Xiang
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Correspondence to Hongfa Xiang.

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Wang, T., Shi, P., Chen, J. et al. Effects of porous structure of carbon hosts on preparation and electrochemical performance of sulfur/carbon composites for lithium–sulfur batteries. J Nanopart Res 18, 19 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-016-3331-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-016-3331-3

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