The loss of the sulfur cathode material through dissolution of the polysulfide into electrolyte causes a significant capacity reduction of the lithium-sulfur cell during the charge-discharge reaction, thereby debilitating the electrochemical performance of the cell. We addressed this problem by using a chemical and physical approach called reduction of polysulfide dissolution through direct coating functional inorganic (graphene oxide) or organic layer (polyethylene oxide) on electrode, since the deposition of external functional layer can chemically interact with polysulfide and physically prevent the leakage of lithium polysulfide out of the electrode. Through this approach, we obtained a composite electrode for a lithium-sulfur battery (sulfur: 60%) coated with uniform and thin external functional layers where the thin external layer was coated on the electrode by solution coating and drying by a subsequent heat treatment at low temperature (~80°C). The external functional layer, such as inorganic or organic layer, not only alleviates the dissolution of the polysulfide electrolyte during the charging/discharging through physical layer formation, but also makes a chemical interaction between the polysulfide and the functional layer. As-formed lithium-sulfur battery exhibits stable cycling electrochemical performance during charging and discharging at a reversible capacity of 700~1187 mAh/g at 0.1 C (1 C = 1675 mA/g) for 30 cycles or more.

Li-S battery Polysulfide dissolution Electrode coating Graphene oxide Polyethylene oxide

Xiao Q, Sohn Z, Chen Z, Toso D, Mechlenburg M, Zhou ZH, Poirier E, Dailly A, Wang H, Wu Z, Cai M, Lu Y, Angew. Chem.-Int. Edit., 51, 10546 (2012)
Sohn H, Chen Z, Jung YS, Xiao Q, Cai M, Wang H, Lu Y, J. Mater. Chem., 1, 4539 (2013)
Jin EM, Lee GE, Na BK, Jeong SM, Korean Chem. Eng. Res., 55(2), 163 (2017)
Kang KY, Choi MG, Lee YG, Kim KM, Korean Chem. Eng. Res., 49(5), 541 (2011)
Ji X, Nazar LF, J. Mater. Chem., 20, 9821 (2010)
Manthiram A, Fu Y, Su YS, Acc. Chem. Res., 46, 1125 (2013)
Marmorstein D, Yu TH, Striebel KA, McLarnon FR, Hou J, Cairns EJ, J. Power Sources, 89(2), 219 (2000)
Chen S, Dai F, Gordin ML, Wang D, RSC Adv., 3, 3540 (2013)
Sohn H, Gordin ML, Regula M, Kim DH, Jung YS, Song JX, Wang DH, J. Power Sources, 302, 70 (2016)
Sohn H, Gordin ML, Xu T, Chen S, Lv D, Song J, Manivannan A, Wang D, ACS Appl, 6, 7596 (2014)
Yamin H, Gorenshtein A, Penciner J, Sternberg Y, Peled E, J. Electrochem. Soc., 135, 1045 (1988)
Mikhaylik YV, Akridge JR, J. Electrochem. Soc., 151(11), A1969 (2004)
Liang C, Dudney NJ, Howe JY, Chem. Mater., 21, 4724 (2009)
Lai C, Gao XP, Zhang B, Yan TY, Zhou Z, J. Phys. Chem., 113, 4712 (2009)
Zhang B, Qin X, Li GR, Gao XP, Energy Environ. Sci., 3, 1531 (2010)
Liang XA, Wen ZY, Liu Y, Zhang H, Huang LZ, Jin J, J. Power Sources, 196(7), 3655 (2011)
Schuster J, He G, Mandlmeier B, Yim T, Lee KT, Bein T, Nazar LF, Angew. Chem.-Int. Edit., 51, 3591 (2012)
Xu T, Song J, GordiN ML, Sohn H, Yu Z, Chen S, Wang D, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 5, 11355 (2013)
Cheon SE, Ko KS, Cho JH, Kim SW, Chin EY, Kim HT, J. Electrochem. Soc., 150(6), A800 (2003)
Dikin DA, Stankovich S, Zimney EJ, Piner RD, Dommett GHB, Evmenenko G, Nguyen ST, Ruoff RS, Nature, 448, 457 (2007)
Agostini M, Hassoun J, Sci. Rep., 5, 7591 (2015)
Wang J, Chew SY, Zhao ZW, Ashraf S, Wexler D, Chem J, Ng SH, Chou SL, Liu HK, Carbon, 46, 229 (2008)
Li X, Cao Y, Qi W, Saraf LV, Xiao J, Nie Z, Mietek J, Zhang JG, Schwenzer B, Liu J, J. Mater. Chem., 21, 16603 (2011)
Sun XG, Wang X, Mayes RT, Dai S, ChemSusChem, 5, 2079 (2012)
Gordin ML, Dai F, Chen S, Xu T, Song J, Tang D, Azimi N, Zhang Z, Wang D, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 6, 8006 (2014)