Science Daily August 23, 2021
Mg/S batteries are some of the most promising rechargeable batteries owing to their high theoretical energy density. However, their development is hindered by low electronic conductivity of S, sluggish Mg2+ diffusion in solid Mg–S compounds formed by discharge, and dissolubility of polysulfides into electrolytes. To address these problems researchers in Japan proposed liquid-S/sulfide composite cathode materials in combination with an ionic liquid electrolyte at intermediate temperatures (∼150 °C). The composite structure is spontaneously fabricated by electrochemically oxidizing metal sulfides, yielding liquid S embedded in a porous metal-sulfide conductive frame. They demonstrated the concept by a S/FeS2 composite cathode, which showed a significantly high-rate capability with a capacity of ∼900 mA h g−1(S). According to the researchers their work provides a new strategy to design S-based cathodes for achieving high-rate multivalent rechargeable batteries… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Abstract. Credit: J. Mater. Chem. A, 2021,9, 16585-16593