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Na4Mn9O18 nanowires wrapped by reduced graphene oxide as efficient sulfur host material for lithium/sulfur batteries

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Abstract

In this work, we fabricated a sulfur-infiltrated three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide wrapped Na4Mn9O18 nanorods microsphere (NMO/RGO/S) as efficient cathode material lithium/sulfur (Li/S) batteries. The NMO/RGO/S microsphere was developed by spray drying the NMO, GO, and S suspension followed by a hydrazine reduction process. The resulting hierarchical microsphere, constructed by cross-linked NMO nanorods and RGO sheet, shortens the electron/ion diffusion pathway. It also provides adequate void space to accommodate S and mitigate the volume variation during cycling. Additionally, the polar NMO nanorods offer strong chemical adsorption to lithium polysulfides, which was confirmed by adsorption experiment. Owing these features, the NMO/RGO/S electrode exhibited a high specific capacity and good cyclability as well. The initial discharge capacity is 952.8 mAh g−1 at 1 C, and after 500 cycles, a discharge capacity of 520 mAh g−1 is maintained, which corresponds to a capacity fading of 0.09% per cycle. The simple preparation method for the construction of NMO/RGO/S microsphere reported in the study advances the development of efficient cathode materials for Li/S battery.

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Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support from the Outstanding Young Talents Project of Hebei High Education Institutions (BJ2019013), Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (B2019202199), and the “Hundred Talents Program” of Hebei Province (E2019050013).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation of Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, China

    Xingbo Wang, Jingde Li, Yuecheng Zhang & Zisheng Zhang

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, China

    Zhenghao Sun & Yan Zhao

  3. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Ottawa, ON, Ottawa, CA, K1N 6N5, USA

    Zisheng Zhang

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  1. Xingbo Wang
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  2. Zhenghao Sun
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  3. Yan Zhao
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  4. Jingde Li
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  5. Yuecheng Zhang
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  6. Zisheng Zhang
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Correspondence to Jingde Li, Yuecheng Zhang or Zisheng Zhang.

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Wang, X., Sun, Z., Zhao, Y. et al. Na4Mn9O18 nanowires wrapped by reduced graphene oxide as efficient sulfur host material for lithium/sulfur batteries. J Solid State Electrochem 24, 111–119 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-019-04478-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-019-04478-0

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