Freestanding carbon nanofoam papers with tunable porosity as lithium-sulfur battery cathodes

To reach energy density demands greater than 3 mA h cm(-2) for practical applications, the electrode structure of lithium-sulfur batteries must undergo an architectural redesign. Freestanding carbon nanofoam papers derived from resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels provide a three-dimensional conductive mesoporous network while facilitating electrolyte transport. Vapor-phase sulfur infiltration fully penetrates >100 & mu;m thick electrodes and conformally coats the carbon aerogel surface providing areal capacities up to 4.1 mA h cm(-2) at sulfur loadings of 6.4 mg cm(-2). Electrode performance can be optimized for energy density or power density by tuning sulfur loading, pore size, and electrode thickness.

Automated summary

For practical applications with energy density demands greater than 3 mA h cm(-2), the electrode structure of lithium-sulfur batteries needs to be redesigned. Freestanding carbon nanofoam papers derived from resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels provide a conductive mesoporous network and facilitate electrolyte transport. Vapor-phase sulfur infiltration allows for high areal capacities up to 4.1 mA h cm(-2) at sulfur loadings of 6.4 mg cm(-2) by fully penetrating >100 μm thick electrodes and conformally coating the carbon aerogel surface. Electrode performance can be optimized for either energy density or power density by tuning sulfur loading, pore size, and electrode thickness.