Advanced Fiber Materials, Volume. 6, Issue 3, 00391(2024)

Solid-State Transformations of Active Materials in the Pores of Sulfurized-Polyacrylonitrile Fiber Membranes via Nucleophilic Reactions for High-Loading and Free-Standing Lithium–Sulfur Battery Cathodes

Hao Liu1,2,3,4, Yun Zhang1,2,3,4, Yongbing Li1,2,3,4, Na Han1,2,3,4, Haihui Liu1,2,3,4, and Xingxiang Zhang1,2,3,4、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1School of Material Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
  • 2State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, Tianjin, 300387, China
  • 3Municipal Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber and Energy Storage, Tianjin, 300387, China
  • 4Cangzhou Institute of Tiangong University, Cangzhou, 061000 Hebei, China
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    Sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) has emerged as an excellent cathode material for lithium–sulfur batteries (LiSBs), and it addresses the shuttle effect through a solid‒solid reaction. However, the actual sulfur loadings in SPAN often remain below 40 wt%. Due to the susceptibility of polysulfides-to-nucleophilic reactions with electrolytes, achieving physical encapsulation of elemental sulfur is a challenging task. In this study, a free-standing cathode material with a high sulfur/selenium (S/Se) loading of 55 wt% was fabricated by introducing SeSx into the unique lotus root-like pores of porous SeSxPAN nanofiber membranes by electrospinning and a two-step heat treatment. Insoluble compounds were formed due to nucleophilic interactions between lithium polyselenosulfides (LiSeSx) and the electrolyte, which potently blocked the existing lotus root-like pores and facilitated the creation of a thin cathode–electrolyte interphase on the fiber surface. This dual functionality of LiSeSx safeguarded the active material embedded within the porous structure. The SeS15PAN cathode exhibited remarkable cycling stability with almost no degradation after 200 cycles at 0.2 C, along with a high discharge capacity of 580 mAh/g. This approach presents a solution for addressing the insufficient sulfur content in SPAN.

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    Hao Liu, Yun Zhang, Yongbing Li, Na Han, Haihui Liu, Xingxiang Zhang. Solid-State Transformations of Active Materials in the Pores of Sulfurized-Polyacrylonitrile Fiber Membranes via Nucleophilic Reactions for High-Loading and Free-Standing Lithium–Sulfur Battery Cathodes[J]. Advanced Fiber Materials, 2024, 6(3): 00391

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    Paper Information

    Category: Research Articles

    Received: Nov. 6, 2023

    Accepted: Feb. 3, 2024

    Published Online: Jul. 31, 2024

    The Author Email: Zhang Xingxiang (zhangpolyu@aliyun.com)

    DOI:10.1007/s42765-024-00391-y

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