Fabrication of carbon nanofibril/carbon nanotube composites with high sulfur loading from nanocellulose for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Recently, lithium-sulfur batteries have attracted much more attention due to their high specific capacity, energy density and wide range of sources. Here, a simple method to prepare sulfur host material was explored. In this method, carbonized cellulose nanofibrils doped with carbon nanotubes were used as the matrix and applied in the cathode. It was found that the sample 40-CNFC with the mass ratio of carbon nanotubes to cellulose dry weight of 4:6 showed the best three-dimensional porous network structure, and its specific surface area was up to 254.4 m(2) g(-1). After loading sulfur, the initial specific capacity of 40-CNFC@S was 1168 mAh g(-1) at 0.1C, and the initial specific capacity of 858 mAh g(-1) was still up to 739 mAh g(-1) after 120 cycles at 0.5C, providing an available access for designing a promising electrode material for lithium-sulfur batteries.

Automated summary

Recently, there has been increased attention towards lithium-sulfur batteries due to their high specific capacity, energy density, and range of sources. In this study, a simple method for preparing a sulfur host material was explored. The use of carbonized cellulose nanofibrils doped with carbon nanotubes as the matrix in the cathode resulted in a three-dimensional porous network structure with a specific surface area of 254.4 m(2) g(-1) for the 40-CNFC sample. Loading sulfur onto this material resulted in an initial specific capacity of 1168 mAh g(-1) at 0.1C, and a retained capacity of 739 mAh g(-1) after 120 cycles at 0.5C, showing promise as an electrode material for lithium-sulfur batteries.