Electrochemically Stable Rechargeable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Equipped with an Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber Film

The high theoretical charge-storage capacity and energy density of lithium-sulfur batteries make them a promising next-generation energy-storage system. However, liquid polysulfides are highly soluble in the electrolytes used in lithium-sulfur batteries, which results in irreversible loss of their active materials and rapid capacity degradation. In this study, we adopt the widely applied electrospinning method to fabricate an electrospun polyacrylonitrile film containing non-nanoporous fibers bearing continuous electrolyte tunnels and demonstrate that this serves as an effective separator in lithium-sulfur batteries. This polyacrylonitrile film exhibits high mechanical strength and supports a stable lithium stripping and plating reaction that persists for 1000 h, thereby protecting a lithium-metal electrode. The polyacrylonitrile film also enables a polysulfide cathode to attain high sulfur loadings (4-16 mg cm(-2)) and superior performance from C/20 to 1C with a long cycle life (200 cycles). The high reaction capability and stability of the polysulfide cathode result from the high polysulfide retention and smooth lithium-ion diffusion of the polyacrylonitrile film, which endows the lithium-sulfur cells with high areal capacities (7.0-8.6 mA center dot h cm(-2)) and energy densities (14.7-18.1 mW center dot h cm(-2)).

Automated summary

In this study, a electrospun polyacrylonitrile film with continuous electrolyte tunnels is used as an effective separator in lithium-sulfur batteries, providing high mechanical strength and stability for lithium stripping and plating reactions. The film also enables high sulfur loadings and superior performance of the polysulfide cathode with long cycle life. This leads to high areal capacities and energy densities in the lithium-sulfur cells.