Microporous activated carbon derived from azulmic acid precursor with high sulfur loading and its application to lithium-sulfur battery cathode

Abstract

We have previously reported that an effective activation method for azulmic acid carbon (AZC: AZC is a carbide of azulmic acid, a nitrogen-containing organic material) as a precursor can produce microporous activated carbon. By improving the activation method of AZC, we succeeded in producing an AZC-based activated carbon that can support a larger amount of sulfur than that of previously reported one while keeping its microporous property. We have found that the present AZC activated carbon has a BET specific surface area of 2633 m2 g−1 and a pore volume of 1.286 cc g−1 and can contain up to 70 wt.% sulfur when an optimum alkaline activator and activation temperature are used. The cathode of this activated carbon can be stably charged and discharged in a lithium-sulfur battery with a glyme-based electrolyte. The present highly sulfur-filled microporous AZC is a promising sulfur host material for lithium sulfur batteries.