An encapsulating lithium-polysulfide electrolyte for practical lithium–sulfur batteries

Li Peng Hou, Xue Qiang Zhang*, Nan Yao, Xiang Chen, Bo Quan Li, Peng Shi, Cheng Bin Jin, Jia Qi Huang, Qiang Zhang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

87 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Practical lithium–sulfur batteries are severely hindered by parasitic reactions between lithium metal anodes and soluble lithium polysulfide (LiPS) intermediates. The solvation structure of LiPSs is pivotal in dictating the reaction kinetics. Herein, an encapsulating LiPS electrolyte (EPSE) is proposed to suppress parasitic reactions based on a nano-heterogeneous solvation structure design of LiPSs. In EPSE, with di-isopropyl sulfide (DIPS) as a co-solvent, soluble LiPSs are encapsulated into two concentric solvent shells with different solvating power and reduction stability. Reduction-stable DIPS in the outer solvent shell significantly suppresses the parasitic reactions between encapsulated LiPSs and lithium metal. A 1.2 Ah pouch cell under demanding conditions undergoes 103 cycles in the EPSE. This work provides two crucial criteria for constructing EPSE, that is, poor solvating power and high reduction stability of the solvent in outer solvent shell, and it opens up new frontiers in modulating the solvation structure of LiPSs toward long-cycling lithium–sulfur batteries.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1083-1098
Number of pages16
JournalChem
Volume8
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Apr 2022

Keywords

  • SDG7: Affordable and clean energy;
  • di-isopropyl sulfide
  • encapsulating lithium polysulfide electrolyte
  • lithium–sulfur battery
  • solvation structure
  • solvent shell

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