Impact of the Carbon Matrix Composition on the S/C Cathode Porosity and Performance in Prototype Li–S Cells

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Florian Schmidt - , Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I, Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)
  • Magdalena Fiedler - , Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I, Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)
  • Tobias Arlt - , Technical University of Berlin (Author)
  • Ankita De - , Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I (Author)
  • Florian Hoffmann - , Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I, Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)
  • Fabian Wilde - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon (Author)
  • Susanne Dörfler - , Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I, Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)
  • Benjamin Schumm - , Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)
  • Thomas Abendroth - , Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)
  • Holger Althues - , Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)
  • Stefan Kaskel - , Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I, Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)

Abstract

The lithium–sulfur battery is a promising electrochemical storage solution, especially for aviation and aeronautical applications, due to its high-gravimetric energy density (specific energy) and the abundance of sulfur. In recent years, the number of reported prototype cells and their realized energy have increased. This underlines the progress of technology readiness of the lithium–sulfur system. However, the influence of the cathode porosity as well as the porosity of the carbon material on the performance of prototype cells is still not fully understood. Consequently, in this study, the porosity of solvent-free processed cathodes is investigated, with varying carbon matrix composition, via mercury intrusion porosimetry and synchrotron tomography. Moreover, the swelling behavior of the S/C dry-film cathodes is investigated and mitigated. These cathodes are then electrochemically evaluated at pouch cell level with ether-based electrolytes with varying E/S ratios. The combination of the gained findings in pouch cells enables specific energies of 425 Wh kg−1 and 558 Wh L−1 at cell level.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number2300518
JournalEnergy technology
Volume11
Issue number10
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • batteries, cathodes, dry coating, lithium–sulfur, pouch cells