Nickel foam as interlayer to improve the performance of lithium–sulfur battery

• DOI: 10.1007/s10008-013-2351-5
• Publication Date: 2013-12-13T10:15:04Z
• Authors: Kai Zhang; Furong Qin; Jing Fang; Qiang Li; Ming Jia; Yanqing Lai; Zhian Zhang; Jie Li
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy; 0104 chemical sciences

In this report, a porous, electronically conductive nickel foam foil (NFF), which is rolled for smooth surface, is introduced as an interlayer placed between the sulfur electrode and the separator to suppress the loss of active material and self-discharge behavior in lithium–sulfur (Li–S) systems. The electrodes are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and galvanostatic charge–discharge test. The cell with the rolled NFF interlayer shows superior performance in terms of capacity utilization, reversibility, and enhanced rate capability. It exhibits reversible discharge capacity of 604 mAh g−1 after 80 cycles at 0.2 C, which is much higher than that of pristine sulfur without NFF (424 mAh g−1). The improvement on electrochemical performance is attributed to the 3D architecture of nickel foam foil as lithium–sulfur batteries interlayer, which can provide a good conductive network with structural stability and the porous architecture accommodating the migrating polysulfide to reduce the shuttling phenomenon during the charge–discharge processes.