High-Performance Li-Metal-Free Sulfur Battery Employing a Lithiated Anatase TiO2 Anode and a Freestanding Li2S-Carbon Aerogel Cathode

Bhardwaj, RK and Lahan, H and Sekkar, V and John, B and Bhattacharyya, AJ (2021) High-Performance Li-Metal-Free Sulfur Battery Employing a Lithiated Anatase TiO2 Anode and a Freestanding Li2S-Carbon Aerogel Cathode. In: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 10 (1). pp. 410-420.

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Abstract

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have emerged as promising alternatives to Li-ion batteries. The commercial feasibility of Li-S batteries is still in question due to the usage of a highly reactive Li-metal anode and complex electrochemistry of the sulfur cathode. We demonstrate here a sulfur battery that is free of both the lithium-metal anode and sulfur-element (S8) cathode. Instead of a carbonaceous material, a lithiated anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticle is chosen here as the anode. A freestanding pellet of lithium sulfide and carbon aerogel (Li2S/CA) is used as the cathode in the Li-metal-free sulfur battery. Activation of Li2S and its conversion to S8 are confirmed by in operando Raman spectroscopy. UV-vis spectroscopy clearly shows high retention of intermediate polysulfides inside the Li2S/CA pellet. The cell with the freestanding Li2S/CA cathode (Li2S-loading ≈ 10 mg cm-2) and the TiO2 anode shows remarkable electrochemical performance at current rates varying from 0.1C (1st cycle: 565 mAh g-1 200th cycle: 370 mAh g-1) to 1C (≈200 mAh g-1). The Li2S/CA also performed remarkably well with the Li-metal anode in the current rate range from 0.1C (1st cycle: 955 mAh g-1 200th cycle: 855 mAh g-1) to 2C (average specific capacity@1C ≈ 380 mAh g-1).

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
Publisher:	American Chemical Society
Additional Information:	The copyright for this article belongs to the American Chemical Society
Keywords:	Aerogels; Anodes; Carbon; Cathodes; Lithium compounds; Lithium sulfur batteries; Lithium-ion batteries; Metals; Pelletizing; Polysulfides; Raman spectroscopy; Titanium dioxide; Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy, Carbon aerogels; Cyclability; Cyclability and rate capability; In operando raman spectroscopy; Li metal; Li-metal-free sulphur battery; Li2S/carbon aerogel cathode; Metal free; Operando; Polysulphide confinement; Polysulphides; Rate capabilities; TiO2anode, Sulfur compounds
Department/Centre:	Division of Chemical Sciences > Solid State & Structural Chemistry Unit
Date Deposited:	02 Jul 2022 05:59
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2022 05:59
URI:	https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/74076

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