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Hierarchical porous g-C3N4/reduced graphene oxide architecture as light-weight sulfur host material for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

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Abstract

High–energy density lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries suffer from short cycling lifespan, poor rate capability, and low sulfur utilization. Here we report design and synthesis of hierarchical porous g-C3N4/reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) as light-weight sulfur host material for Li-S batteries via a poly-condensation method using silica nanoparticles as hard templates. Microstructure of the g-C3N4/r-GO architecture has been characterized. Electrochemical evaluations indicate that the g-C3N4/r-GO/S composite cathode with 75 wt% of sulfur and moderate macropore density in the host material displays the best Li-storage properties. The reversible capacity reaches 589.6 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at a current rate of 2 C (3.35 A g−1). Especially the rate capability is excellent. Even at 3.5 C, the reversible capacity can reach 55% of the capacity at 0.2 C. This light-weight g-C3N4/r-GO architecture composed of electrical conductive r-GO layers, polar g-C3N4, and hierarchical pores is a promising sulfur host material for high-performance Li-S batteries.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51472083).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of College of Material Science and Engineering, Hunan University, 2 Lushan South Road, Yuelu District, Changsha, 410082, China

    Ziwei Deng, Qi Wang, Peng Song, Yuxi Chen, Xiaohong Xia & Hongbo Liu

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  1. Ziwei Deng
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  2. Qi Wang
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  4. Yuxi Chen
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  5. Xiaohong Xia
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Correspondence to Yuxi Chen.

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Deng, Z., Wang, Q., Song, P. et al. Hierarchical porous g-C3N4/reduced graphene oxide architecture as light-weight sulfur host material for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries. Ionics 25, 5361–5371 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-019-03119-w

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