Impact of the Mechanical Properties of a Functionalized Cross-Linked Binder on the Longevity of Li-S Batteries

C. Y. Kwok; Q. Pang; A. Worku; X. Liang; M. Gauthier; L. F. Nazar

doi:10.1021/acsami.9b06456

Impact of the Mechanical Properties of a Functionalized Cross-Linked Binder on the Longevity of Li-S Batteries

C. Y. Kwok, Q. Pang, A. Worku, X. Liang, M. Gauthier, L. F. Nazar

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

One of the very challenging aspects of Li-S battery development is the fabrication of a sulfur electrode with high areal loading using conventional Li-ion binders. Herein, we report a new multifunctional polymeric binder, synthesized by the free-radical cross-linking polymerization of [2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (AETMAC) and ethylene glycol diacrylate (EGDA) to form poly(AETMAC-co-EGDA), that not only helps to confine the soluble polysulfide species but also has the desired mechanical properties to allow stable cycling of high-sulfur loading cathodes. Through a combination of spectroscopic and electrochemical studies, we elucidate the chemical interactions that inhibit polysulfide shuttling. We also show that extensive cross-linkage enables this polymeric binder to exhibit a low degree of swelling as well as high tensile modulus and toughness. These attributes are essential to maintain the architectural integrity of the sulfur cathode during extended cycling. Using this material, Li-S cells with a high-sulfur loading (6.0 mg cm^-2) and a low-intermediate electrolyte/sulfur ratio (7 μL:1 mg) achieve an areal capacity of 5.4 mA h cm^-2 and can be (dis)charged for 300 cycles with stable reversible redox behavior after the initial cycles.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	22481-22491
Number of pages	11
Journal	ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume	11
Issue number	25
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b06456
State	Published - Jun 26 2019
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This research was supported by the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), an Energy Innovation Hub funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Science. The authors thank Kelvin Liew and Prof. Boxin Zhao at the University of Waterloo for their generous help in performing the mechanical measurements on the electrodes. We thank Dr Shahrzad Hosseini Vajargah for the collection of the TEM images. This research was also partially supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) through their Discovery and Canada Research Chair programs to L.F.N. and a doctoral scholarship (PGS-D) to C.Y.K.

Keywords

Li-S batteries
functionalized cross-linked binder
high areal sulfur loading
mechanical properties
polysulfide chemisorption

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1021/acsami.9b06456

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title = "Impact of the Mechanical Properties of a Functionalized Cross-Linked Binder on the Longevity of Li-S Batteries",

abstract = "One of the very challenging aspects of Li-S battery development is the fabrication of a sulfur electrode with high areal loading using conventional Li-ion binders. Herein, we report a new multifunctional polymeric binder, synthesized by the free-radical cross-linking polymerization of [2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (AETMAC) and ethylene glycol diacrylate (EGDA) to form poly(AETMAC-co-EGDA), that not only helps to confine the soluble polysulfide species but also has the desired mechanical properties to allow stable cycling of high-sulfur loading cathodes. Through a combination of spectroscopic and electrochemical studies, we elucidate the chemical interactions that inhibit polysulfide shuttling. We also show that extensive cross-linkage enables this polymeric binder to exhibit a low degree of swelling as well as high tensile modulus and toughness. These attributes are essential to maintain the architectural integrity of the sulfur cathode during extended cycling. Using this material, Li-S cells with a high-sulfur loading (6.0 mg cm-2) and a low-intermediate electrolyte/sulfur ratio (7 μL:1 mg) achieve an areal capacity of 5.4 mA h cm-2 and can be (dis)charged for 300 cycles with stable reversible redox behavior after the initial cycles.",

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Impact of the Mechanical Properties of a Functionalized Cross-Linked Binder on the Longevity of Li-S Batteries

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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