The preparation and electrochemical performance study of the carbon nanofibers/sulfur composites

Abstract

Many works have been conducted in the field of lithium-sulfur batteries, which have high specific capacity and energy density. Besides, the element sulfur is environmental friendly, low cost, and abundant. During the past decades, great efforts have been paid to improve the electrochemical performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. However, there is still a long way to achieve the wide application of lithium-sulfur batteries. The main reasons are the poor electronic conductivity and severe shuttle effect of the soluble polysulfide in the lithium-sulfur batteries. Therefore, it is the efficient method to design the sulfur host materials, which could improve the electronic conductivity and inhibit the shuttle effect in the lithium-sulfur batteries. Herein, carbon nanofibers were prepared and designed as sulfur hosts in lithium-sulfur batteries. Due to the presence of the carbon nanofibers, the as-prepared carbon nanofibers/S (CNFs/S) composites exhibited excellent electrochemical performances.