Researchers at Beihang University in China developed new cathode materials for lithium-sulfur batteries, made from vertically aligned sulfurgraphene (S-G) nanowalls on electrically conductive substrates.
These new cathodes are reported to allow fast diffusion of lithium ions and electrons and achieve an excellent capacity (of 1261 mAh g1 in the first cycle, and over 1210 mAh g1 after 120 cycles) and high-rate performance (more than 400 mAh g1 at 8C, 13.36 A g1). The scientists claim that these impressive figures position it as the best demonstrated rate performance for sulfur-graphene cathodes.
The researchers believe that this new work may open the door to new approaches to the manufacture of graphene-containing composites with unique structures for catalysis, sensors, and energy storage and conversions.