Does the sulfur cathode require good mixing for a liquid electrolyte lithium/sulfur cell?

In order to demonstrate whether the sulfur cathode of a liquid electrolyte lithium/sulfur (Li/S) cell requires good mixing, we intentionally prepare the following three cathodes: (1) Cathode A made by spreading a sulfur/carbon disulfide solution onto a porous carbon electrode, (2) Cathode B made by laminating a porous carbon layer and a pure sulfur layer together, and (3) Cathode C made by soaking a carbon cloth into a sulfur/carbon disulfide solution and then evaporating the solvent. Without any milling treatments, the large yellow sulfur particles/crystals are visually visible in all three cathodes. Even using these cathodes without mixing of the sulfur and conducting carbon, the Li/S cells still exhibit initial discharge capacities of 1218, 1337, and 966 mAh g(-1) for Cathodes A, B, C, respectively, and maintain comparable capacity retentions as compared with the conventional Li/S cells. These results reveal that the initial mixing status of the cathode does not affect the cycling performance of Li/S cells. In this paper, we discuss our results from the viewpoint of the Li/S fundamental chemistry and suggest more effective approaches for the performance improvement. Published by Elsevier B.V.