Xanthogen Polysulfides as a New Class of Electrode Material for Rechargeable Batteries

Organosulfides are an emerging class of alternative sulfur-based cathode materials. This work explores a new member in this family of active materials, viz., xanthogen polysulfides. Diisopropyl xanthogen polysulfide (DIXPS) is used as a model compound in a lithium battery to understand the chemical changes and the unique electrochemical behavior of this class of materials by employing various materials characterization methodologies. As a cathode material, DIXPS shows a high electrochemical utilization (up to 93.5%) during low-rate cycling. It sustains a prolonged cycling (1000 cycles) stability at a high rate of 4C. At a material level, it demonstrates a high energy density of 1313 W h kg(-1)and 1694 W h L-1. DIXPS also shows a remarkable resilience to performance decline when tested under practically necessary high-loading and lean-electrolyte conditions in a prototype pouch cell, substantiating its practical viability. Furthermore, the feasibility of using DIXPS with alternative metal anodes, such as sodium is also verified. The ability to use sustainable, naturally available materials, such as sugar and alcohol as feedstocks to synthesize xanthogen-based battery materials, is also validated. The study demonstrates that xanthogen polysulfides can find use in a broad range of high-energy-density batteries.