Synergistic Interfacial Bonding in Reduced Graphene Oxide Fiber Cathodes Containing Polypyrrole@sulfur Nanospheres for Flexible Energy Storage

Flexible lithium sulfur batteries with high energy density and good mechanical flexibility are highly desirable. Here, we report a synergistic interface bonding enhancement strategy to construct flexible fiber-shaped composite cathodes, in which polypyrrole@sulfur (PPy@S) nanospheres are homogeneously implanted into the built-in cavity of self-assembled reduced graphene oxide fibers (rGOFs) by a facile microfluidic assembly method. In this architecture, sulfur nanospheres and lithium polysulfides are synergistically hosted by carbon and polymer interface, which work together to provide enhanced interface chemical bonding to endow the cathode with good adsorption ability, fast reaction kinetics, and excellent mechanical flexibility. Consequently, the PPy@S/rGOFs cathode shows enhanced electrochemical performance and high-rate capability. COMSOL Multiphysics simulations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations are conducted to elucidate the enhanced electrochemical performance. In addition, a flexible Li-S pouch cell is assembled and delivers a high areal capacity of 5.8 mAh cm(-2) at 0.2 A g(-1). Our work offers a new strategy for preparation of advanced cathodes for flexible batteries.

Automated summary

In this study, a synergistic interface bonding enhancement strategy was reported to construct flexible fiber-shaped composite cathodes. Polypyrrole@sulfur (PPy@S) nanospheres were implanted into the built-in cavity of self-assembled reduced graphene oxide fibers (rGOFs) using a facile microfluidic assembly method. The resulting cathode showed enhanced electrochemical performance and high-rate capability.