Macroporous free-standing nano-sulfur/reduced graphene oxide paper as stable cathode for lithium-sulfur battery

A macroporous free-standing nano-sulfur/graphene (S-rGO) paper is introduced directly as an electrode for lithium-sulfur battery. The S-rGO paper is synthesized through a facile freeze drying route followed by low-temperature heat treatment. The flexible S-rGO paper not only provides a conductive framework for electron transport but also alleviates volume effect during cycling. The as-designed S-rGO paper exhibits excellent rate capability and cyclability. The specific discharge capacity is 800 mAh g(-1) after 200 cycles at a current density of 300 mA g(-1) and the capacity fading rate is only 0.035% per cycle. Even at a high current density of 1500 mA g(-1), it still shows a good performance. We ascribe the high performance of the S-rGO paper to stable macroporous structure and strong interaction between sulfur nanoparticles and graphene. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.