Scalable production of nitrogen-doped carbons for multilayer lithium-sulfur battery cells

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Christian Kensy - , Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I, Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)
  • Paul Härtel - , Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I, Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)
  • Johannes Maschita - , Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (Author)
  • Susanne Dörfler - , 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)
  • Bettina V. Lotsch - , Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (Author)
  • Stefan Kaskel - , Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I, Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (Author)

Abstract

Lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries are among the targeted candidates for future generation secondary batteries with high specific energy. Herein, a scalable synthesis is presented to produce highly porous, nitrogen-doped carbons from a commercial carbon black material by melamine impregnation and subsequent thermolysis. The process up-scaling up was demonstrated at > 100 g batch level. The nitrogen doping was controlled through pyrolysis temperatures and carbon to melamine ratio. The sulfur-carbon cathodes exhibit an enhanced cycle life at a moderate electrolyte to sulfur ratio of 7 μL mgS −1. In particular, under lean conditions at low electrolyte amount of 5 μL mgS −1, the nitrogen functionalities improved active material utilization and capacity retention significantly. The nitrogen-doped scaffold was integrated into five-layered prototype cell (71 × 46 mm2) with a capacity of up to 0.87 Ah reaching a specific energy density of 238 Wh kg−1 on stack level. These results provide new insights into realistic application of nitrogen-doped carbons on pouch cell level.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)190-197
Number of pages8
JournalCarbon
Volume161
Publication statusPublished - May 2020
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • Cathode, Lithium-sulfur battery, Nitrogen-doping, Porous carbon, Pouch cell