Ultraviolet-Initiated In-Situ Cross-Linking of Multifunctional Binder Backbones Enables Robust Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Authors

Sha Li, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China
Xiao Zhan, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China
Gu-Lian Wang, Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, Shandong, ChinaFollow
Hui-Qun Wang, Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, Shandong, China
Wei-Ming Xiong, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China
Li Zhang, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, ChinaFollow

Corresponding Author

Gu-Lian Wang(202120305@mail.sdu.edu.cn);
Li Zhang(zhangli81@xmu.edu.cn)

Abstract

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries show attractive prospects owing to their high theoretical energy density, but their commercialization still faces such challenges as lithium polysulfides shuttling, severe volume change and considerable polarization. These stubborn issues place higher demands on each component in the battery, such as the development of multifunctional binders with superior mechanical properties. Herein, ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate was firstly introduced into sulfur cathodes, and in-situ cross-linked by ultraviolet (UV) curing combined with traditional polyvinylidene difluoride binder (i.e., forming a binary binder, denoted as c-ETPTA/PVDF) to construct high-loading and durable Li-S batteries. The covalently cross-linked ETPTA framework not only significantly enhances the mechanical strength of the laminate, but also offers a strong chemical affinity for lithium polysulfides due to the abundant oxygen-containing groups. Moreover, the moderate interaction force between ether oxygen bonds and Li⁺ further accelerates the Li⁺ transport. As such, the S-c-ETPTA/PVDF electrode exhibited an ultralow attenuation rate of 0.038% at 2 C over 1000 cycles. Even under a sulfur loading of 7.8 mg_S·cm^–2, an average areal capacity of 6.2 mAh·cm^–2 could be achieved after 50 cycles. This work indicates that light-assisted curing technology holds great promise in the fabrication of robust and high-energy-density Li-S batteries.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords

Lithium-sulfur batteries, Ultraviolet curing, In-situ cross-linked, Multifunctional binder, High-strength electrode

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.13208/j.electrochem.2217004

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Publication Date

2023-04-28

Online Available Date

2022-11-07

Revised Date

2022-09-13

Received Date

2022-07-30

Recommended Citation

Sha Li, Xiao Zhan, Gu-Lian Wang, Hui-Qun Wang, Wei-Ming Xiong, Li Zhang. Ultraviolet-Initiated In-Situ Cross-Linking of Multifunctional Binder Backbones Enables Robust Lithium-Sulfur Batteries[J]. Journal of Electrochemistry, 2023 , 29(4): 2217004.
DOI: 10.13208/j.electrochem.2217004
Available at: https://jelectrochem.xmu.edu.cn/journal/vol29/iss4/4