Abstract
Hierarchically-porous carbon nano sheets were prepared as a conductive additive for sulfur/polyacrylonitrile (S/PAN) composite cathodes using a simple heat treatment. In this study, kombucha (that was derived from symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) carbon (KC) and graphene oxide (GO) were used as a carbon host matrix. These rational-designed S/PAN/KC/GO hybrid composites greatly suppress the diffusion of polysulfides by providing strong physical and chemical adsorption. The cathode delivered an initial discharge capacity of 1652 mAh·g−1 at a 0.1 C rate and a 100th cycle capacity of 1193 mAh·g−1. The nano sheets with embedded hierarchical pores create a conductive network that provide effective electron transfer and fast electrochemical kinetics. Further, the nitrogen component of PAN can raise the affinity/interaction of the carbon host with lithium polysulfides, supporting the cyclic performance. The results exploit the cumulative contribution of both the conductive carbon matrix and PAN in the enhanced performance of the positive electrode.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Armand M, Tarascon J M. Building better batteries. Nature, 2008, 451(7179): 652–657
Whittingham M S. Lithium batteries and cathode materials. Chemical Reviews, 2004, 104(10): 4271–4302
Scrosati B, Hassoun J, Sun Y K. Lithium-ion batteries. A look into the future. Energy & Environmental Science, 2011, 4(9): 3287–3295
Bruce P G, Freunberger S A, Hardwick L J, Tarascon JM. Li-O2 and Li-S batteries with high energy storage. Nature Materials, 2012, 11(1): 19–29
Sivakumar M, Muruganantham R, Subadevi R. Investigations on the rate performance of LiFePO4/CeO2 composite materials via polyol technique for rechargeable lithium batteries. RSC Advances, 2015, 5(105): 86126–86136
Jayaprakash N, Shen J, Moganty S S, Corona A, Archer L A. Porous hollow carbon@ sulfur composites for high-ower lithium-sulfur batteries. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2011, 50(26): 5904–5908
Ji X, Nazar L F. Advances in Li-S batteries. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2010, 20(44): 9821–9826
Liang C, Zhang X, Zhao Y, Tan T, Zhang Y, Chen Z. Preparation of hierarchical porous carbon from waterweed and its application in lithium/sulfur batteries. Energies, 2018, 11(6): 1535
Peng H J, Huang J Q, Zhao M Q, Zhang Q, Cheng X B, Liu X Y, Qian W Z, Wei F. Nanoarchitectured graphene/CNT@ porous carbon with extraordinary electrical conductivity and interconnected micro/mesopores for lithium-sulfur batteries. Advanced Functional Materials, 2014, 24(19): 2772–2781
Ji X, Lee K T, Nazar L F. A highly ordered nanostructured carbonsulphur cathode for lithium-sulphur batteries. Nature Materials, 2009, 8(6): 500–506
Li Z, Zhang J, Guan B, Wang D, Liu LM, Lou XWD. A sulfur host based on titanium monoxide @ carbon hollow spheres for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries. Nature Communications, 2016, 7(1): 13065
Wu R, Chen S, Deng J, Huang X, Song Y, Gan R, Wan X, Wei Z. Hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon as cathode for lithiumsulfur batteries. Journal of Energy Chemistry, 2018, 27(6): 1661–1667
Zhang J, Yang C P, Yin Y X, Wan L J, Guo Y G. Sulfur encapsulated in graphitic carbon nanocages for high-rate and long-cycle lithiumsulfur batteries. Advanced Materials, 2016, 28(43): 9539–9544
Zhang C, Lu C, Bi S, Hou Y, Zhang F, Cai M, He Y, Paasch S, Feng X, Brunner E, Zhuang X. S-enriched porous polymer derived N-doped porous carbons for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2018, 12(3): 346–357
Radhika G, Subadevi R, Krishnaveni K, Liu W R, Sivakumar M. Synthesis and electrochemical performance of PEG-MnO2-sulfur composites cathode materials for lithium sulfur batteries. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2018, 18(1): 127–131
Wang K, Pang J, Li L, Zhou S, Li Y, Zhang T. Synthesis of hydrophobic carbon nanotubes/reduced graphene oxide composite films by flash light irradiation. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2018, 12(3): 376–382
Gong G, Pyo J, Mathew A P, Oksman K. Tensile behavior, morphology and viscoelastic analysis of cellulose nanofiberreinforced (CNF) polyvinyl acetate (PVAc). Composites. Part A, Applied Science and Manufacturing, 2011, 42(9): 1275–1282
Li W, Zhang Q, Zheng G, Seh Z W, Yao H, Cui Y. Understanding the role of different conductive polymers in improving the nanostructured sulfur cathode performance. Nano Letters, 2013, 13(11): 5534–5540
Kong L, Li B Q, Peng H J, Zhang R, Xie J, Huang J Q, Zhang Q. Porphyrin-derived graphene-based nanosheets enabling strong polysulfide chemisorption and rapid kinetics in lithium-sulfur batteries. Advanced Energy Materials, 2018, 8(20): 1800849
Fu Y, Manthiram A. Orthorhombic bipyramidal sulfur coated with polypyrrole nanolayers as a cathode material for lithium-sulfur batteries. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2012, 116(16): 8910–8915
Zhou W, Xiao X, Cai M, Yang L. Polydopamine-coated, nitrogendoped, hollow carbon-sulfur double-layered core-shell structure for improving lithium-sulfur batteries. Nano Letters, 2014, 14(9): 5250–5256
Zhang Y, Zhao Y, Yermukhambetova A, Bakenov Z, Chen P. Ternary sulfur/polyacrylonitrile/Mg0.6Ni0.4O composite cathodes for high performance lithium/sulfur batteries. Journal of Materials Chemistry. A, Materials for Energy and Sustainability, 2013, 1(2): 295–301
Krishnaveni K, Subadevi R, Sivakumar M. A solution-processed binary composite as a cathode material in lithium-sulfur batteries. Applied Physics. A, Materials Science & Processing, 2019, 125(7): 469
Wei S, Ma L, Hendrickson K E, Tu Z, Archer L A. Metal-sulfur battery cathodes based on PAN-sulfur composites. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2015, 137(37): 12143–12152
Balakumar K, Sathish R, Kalaiselvi N. Exploration of microporous bio-carbon scaffold for efficient utilization of sulfur in lithium-sulfur system. Electrochimica Acta, 2016, 209: 171–182
Balakumar K, Kalaiselvi N. High sulfur loaded carbon aerogel cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries. RSC Advances, 2015, 5(43): 34008–34018
Chen M, Jiang S, Huang C, Xia J, Wang X, Xiang K, Zeng P, Zhang Y, Jamil S. Synergetic effects of multifunctional composites with more efficient polysulfide immobilization and ultrahigh sulfur content in lithium-sulfur batteries. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2018, 10(16): 13562–13572
Wang Z, Dong Y, Li H, Zhao Z, Wu H B, Hao C, Liu S, Qiu J, Lou X W. Enhancing lithium-sulphur battery performance by strongly binding the discharge products on amino-functionalized reduced graphene oxide. Nature Communications, 2014, 5(1): 5002
Krishnaveni K, Subadevi R, Sivakumar M, Raja M, Prem Kumar T. Synthesis and characterization of graphene oxide capped sulfur/polyacrylonitrile composite cathode by simple heat treatment. Journal of Sulfur Chemistry, 2019, 40(4): 377–388
Shi Y, Lv W, Niu S, He Y, Zhou G, Chen G, Li B, Yang Q H, Kang F. A carbon-sulfur hybrid with pomegranate-like structure for lithium-sulfur batteries. Chemistry, an Asian Journal, 2016, 11(9): 1343–1347
Rajkumar P, Diwakar K, Radhika G, Krishnaveni K, Subadevi R, Sivakumar M. Effect of silicon dioxide in sulfur/carbon black composite as a cathode material for lithium sulfur batteries. Vacuum, 2019, 161: 37–48
Wang J, Yang J, Wan C, Du K, Xie J, Xu N. Sulfur composite cathode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries. Advanced Functional Materials, 2003, 13(6): 487–492
Yin L, Wang J, Lin F, Yang J, Nuli Y. Polyacrylonitrile/graphene composite as a precursor to a sulfur-based cathode material for highrate rechargeable Li-S batteries. Energy & Environmental Science, 2012, 5(5): 6966–6972
Wang J, Yang J, Xie J, Xu N. A novel conductive polymer-sulfur composite cathode material for rechargeable lithium batteries. Advanced Materials, 2002, 14(13-14): 963–965
Yin L, Wang J, Yang J, Nuli Y. A novel pyrolyzed polyacrylonitrilesulfur@ MWCNT composite cathode material for high-rate rechargeable lithium/sulfur batteries. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2011, 21(19): 6807–6810
Krishnaveni K, Subadevi R, Raja M. Sulfur/PAN/acetylene black composite prepared by a solution processing technique for lithiumsulfur batteries. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2018, 135(34): 46598
Wei W, Wang J, Zhou L, Yang J, Schumann B, Nuli Y. CNT enhanced sulfur composite cathode material for high rate lithium battery. Electrochemistry Communications, 2011, 13(5): 399–402
Ye J, He F, Nie J, Cao Y, Yang H, Ai X. Sulfur/carbon nanocomposite-filled polyacrylonitrile nanofibers as a long life and high capacity cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries. Journal of Materials Chemistry. A, Materials for Energy and Sustainability, 2015, 3(14): 7406–7412
Krishnaveni K, Subadevi R, Radhika G, Premkumar T, Raja M, Liu W R, Sivakumar M. Carbon wrapping effect on sulfur/polyacrylonitrile composite cathode materials for lithium sulfur batteries. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2018, 18(1): 121–126
Kim J W, Ocon J D, Park D W, Lee J. Enhanced reversible capacity of Li-S battery cathode based on graphene oxide. Journal of Energy Chemistry, 2013, 22(2): 336–340
Ji L, Rao M, Zheng H, Zhang L, Li Y, Duan W, Guo J, Cairns E J, Zhang Y. Graphene oxide as a sulfur immobilizer in high performance lithium/sulfur cells. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2011, 133(46): 18522–18525
Li K, Wang B, Su D, Park J, Ahn H, Wang G. Enhance electrochemical performance of lithium sulfur battery through a solution-based processing technique. Journal of Power Sources, 2012, 202: 389–393
Hwang T H, Jung D S, Kim J S, Kim B G, Choi J W. Onedimensional carbon-sulfur composite fibers for Na-S rechargeable batteries operating at room temperature. Nano Letters, 2013, 13(9): 4532–4538
Johra F T, Lee JW, Jung WG. Facile and safe graphene preparation on solution based platform. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 2014, 20(5): 2883–2887
Gurunathan S, Han J W, Dayem A A, Eppakayala V, Kim J H. Oxidative stress-mediated antibacterial activity of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2012, 7: 5901
Guo J, Xu Y, Wang C. Sulfur-impregnated disordered carbon nanotubes cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries. Nano Letters, 2011, 11(10): 4288–4294
Lee J T, Zhao Y, Thieme S, Kim H, Oschatz M, Borchardt L, Magasinski A, Cho W I, Kaskel S, Yushin G. Sulfur-infiltrated micro- and mesoporous silicon carbide-derived carbon cathode for high-performance lithium sulfur batteries. Advanced Materials, 2013, 25(33): 4573–4579
Yushin G, Dash R, Jagiello J, Fischer J E, Gogotsi Y. Carbidederived carbons: Effect of pore size on hydrogen uptake and heat of adsorption. Advanced Functional Materials, 2006, 16(17): 2288-2293
Rehman S, Tang T, Ali Z, Huang X, Hou Y. Integrated design of MnO2@ carbon hollow nanoboxes to synergistically encapsulate polysulfides for empowering lithium sulfur batteries. Small, 2017, 13(20): 1700087
Ni L, Wu Z, Zhao G, Sun C, Zhou C, Gong X, Diao G. Core-shell structure and interaction mechanism of γ-MnO2 coated sulfur for improved lithium-sulfur batteries. Small, 2017, 13(14): 1603466
Pang Q, Tang J, Huang H, Liang X, Hart C, Tam K C, Nazar L F. A nitrogen and sulfur dual-doped carbon derived from polyrhodanine@ cellulose for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries. Advanced Materials, 2015, 27(39): 6021–6028
Zhao J, Pei S, Ren W, Gao L, Cheng H M. Efficient preparation of large-area graphene oxide sheets for transparent conductive films. ACS Nano, 2010, 4(9): 5245–5252
Zhou G, Yin L C, Wang DW, Li L, Pei S, Gentle I R, Li F, Cheng H M. Fibrous hybrid of graphene and sulfur nanocrystals for highperformance lithium-sulfur batteries. ACS Nano, 2013, 7(6): 5367–5375
Yuan S, Guo Z, Wang L, Hu S, Wang Y, Xia Y. Leaf-like grapheneoxide-wrapped sulfur for high-performance lithium-sulfur battery. Advancement of Science, 2015, 2(8): 1500071
Tang Q, Jiang L, Liu J, Wang S, Sun G. Effect of surface manganese valence of manganese oxides on the activity of the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media. ACS Catalysis, 2014, 4(2): 457–463
Chulliyote R, Hareendrakrishnakumar H, Raja M, Gladis J M, Stephan A M. Sulfur-immobilized nitrogen and oxygen co-doped hierarchically porous biomass carbon for lithium-sulfur batteries: Influence of sulfur content and distribution on its performance. ChemistrySelect, 2017, 2(32): 10484–10495
Liu Y, Zhao X, Chauhan G S, Ahn J H. Nanostructured nitrogendoped mesoporous carbon derived from polyacrylonitrile for advanced lithium sulfur batteries. Applied Surface Science, 2016, 380: 151–158
Wu H, Mou J, Zhou L, Zheng Q, Jiang N, Lin D. Cloud cap-like, hierarchically porous carbon derived from mushroom as an excellent host cathode for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries. Electrochimica Acta, 2016, 212: 1021–1030
Wu Y, Xu C, Guo J, Su Q, Du G, Zhang J. Enhanced electrochemical performance by wrapping graphene on carbon nanotube/sulfur composites for rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries. Materials Letters, 2014, 137: 277–280
Guo J, Zhang J, Jiang F, Zhao S, Su Q, Du G. Microporous carbon nanosheets derived from corncobs for lithium-sulfur batteries. Electrochimica Acta, 2015, 176: 853–860
Zhang J, Xiang J, Dong Z, Liu Y, Wu Y, Xu C, Du G. Biomass derived activated carbon with 3D connected architecture for rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries. Electrochimica Acta, 2014, 116: 146–151
Wei S, Zhang H, Huang Y, Wang W, Xia Y, Yu Z. Pig bone derived hierarchical porous carbon and its enhanced cycling performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. Energy & Environmental Science, 2011, 4(3): 736–740
Qin F, Zhang K, Fang J, Lai Y, Li Q, Zhang Z, Li J. High performance lithium sulfur batteries with a cassava-derived carbon sheet as a polysulfides inhibitor. New Journal of Chemistry, 2014, 38(9): 4549–4554
You X L, Liu L J, Zhang M Y, Walle M D, Li Y, Liu Y N. Novel biomass derived hierarchical porous carbon for lithium sulfur batteries. Materials Letters, 2018, 217: 167–170
Zhao X, Kim M, Liu Y, Ahn H J, Kim K W, Cho K K, Ahn J H. Root-like porous carbon nanofibers with high sulfur loading enabling superior areal capacity of lithium sulfur batteries. Carbon, 2018, 128: 138–146
Zhao Y, Ren J, Tan T, Babaa M R, Bakenov Z, Liu N, Zhang Y. Biomass waste inspired highly porous carbon for high performance lithium/sulfur batteries. Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland), 2017, 7(9): 260
Feng J, Qin X, Ma Z, Yang J, Yang W, Shao G. A novel acetylene black/sulfur@ graphene composite cathode with unique threedimensional sandwich structure for lithium-sulfur batteries. Electrochimica Acta, 2016, 190: 426–433
Zhang J, Dong Z, Wang X, Zhao X, Tu J, Su Q, Du G. Sulfur nanocrystals anchored graphene composite with highly improved electrochemical performance for lithium-sulfur batteries. Journal of Power Sources, 2014, 270: 1–8
Chen F, Yang J, Bai T, Long B, Zhou X. Biomass waste-derived honeycomb-like nitrogen and oxygen dual-doped porous carbon for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries. Electrochimica Acta, 2016, 192: 99–109
Stankovich S, Dikin D A, Piner R D, Kohlhaas K A, Kleinhammes A, Jia Y, Wu Y, Nguyen S T, Ruoff R S. Synthesis of graphenebased nanosheets via chemical reduction of exfoliated graphite oxide. Carbon, 2007, 45(7): 1558–1565
Acknowledgements
All the authors from Alagappa University acknowledge the financial support by DST-SERB, New Delhi under the Physical sciences, grant sanctioned vide EMR/2016/006302. Also, all the authors gratefully acknowledge for extending the analytical facilities in the Department of Physics, Alagappa University under the PURSE and FIST programme, sponsored by Department of Science and Technology (DST), BSR of University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, Government of India and Ministry of Human Resource Development RUSA-Phase 2.0 grant sanctioned vide Lt.No.F-24-51/2014 U Policy (TNMulti Gen), Department of Education, Government of India.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Supporting Information
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kalaiappan, K., Rengapillai, S., Marimuthu, S. et al. Kombucha SCOBY-based carbon and graphene oxide wrapped sulfur/polyacrylonitrile as a high-capacity cathode in lithium-sulfur batteries. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng. 14, 976–987 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-019-1897-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-019-1897-x