High Performance Metal Sulfide Electrode for Lithium Battery

Abstract

The energy crisis is reaching its critical point where the actions for its mitigation cannot be postponed any longer. Therefore, urgency for more powerful, more stable energy storage systems is making our society investigate different materials with various configurations. Conducted studies on electrode materials, in general, have shown the essential tendencies besides electrode material itself being morphology, microstructure and chemical composition [1]. One of the promising electrode materials for the next-generation lithium-ion batteries is metal sulfides, as they possess high electronic conductivity and relatively high theoretical capacity than that of LiCoO2. Nowadays, copper sulfide is attracting more researchers due to its wide range of stoichiometric composition (CuxS, x=1-2) and diverse application in energy devices [2]. Extensive studies have demonstrated the possibility for numerous copper sulfide synthesis methods such as hydrothermal and solvothermal methods, melt diffusion, mixed solvents method, chemical deposition, sol-gel method, spray pyrolysis (SP), microwave-assisted growth, chemical vapor transport, template synthesis, and electrodeposition [3,4]. However, all those methods are costly and time-consuming. In this study, is presented a simple and straightforward novel method of preparation of flower-like structured copper sulfide (CuxS) (Fig. 1) with excellent electrochemical properties and cycling stability. Detailed studies of the electrochemical reaction mechanism for the new composition of CuxS phase will be presented.