Expansion and shrinkage of the sulfur composite electrode in rechargeable lithium batteries

The expansion and shrinkage characteristics of sulfur composite cathode electrode in rechargeable lithium batteries have been investigated. It was found that the sulfur composites electrodes expanded when discharging and shrank when charging again. The thickness change of the electrode was measured to be about 22%. The thickness of lithium metal anodes was also changed when lithium deposition and dissolution, while the sulfur composites electrodes expanded and shrank conversely. The investigation showed that the thickness changes of lithium anode and sulfur composite cathode could be compensated with each other to keep the total thickness of the cell not to change so much. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.