Conductive Carbon Nanotube Networks Research Articles

Boosting the zinc storage performance of vanadium dioxide by integrated morphology engineering and carbon nanotube conductive networks

Boosting the zinc storage performance of vanadium dioxide by integrated morphology engineering and carbon nanotube conductive networks

Microwave absorption and infrared stealth capabilities of hot-pressed Si3N4/CNT ceramics tailored by CNT content

Current research on radar and infrared dual stealth in dense Si3N4-based ceramic materials is limited. This study investigates the influence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the composition, microstructure, electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) capabilities, and infrared emissivity of hot-pressed Si3N4-based ceramics. The addition of CNTs resulted in the formation of numerous heterogeneous interfaces and the CNTs conductive network, initially enhancing the ceramics’ EMA capabilities before gradually decreasing. Si3N4-based ceramics loaded with 0.5 wt% and 1 wt% CNTs exhibited significant EMA capabilities, with a minimum refection loss of -60.95 dB at thickness of 7.49 mm. However, with an increase in CNT content, the increasing heterogeneous interfaces and pores in ceramics enhanced the absorption of the electromagnetic wave in the infrared band, resulting in a rise in total infrared emissivity from 0.584 to 0.679. To optimize radar and infrared stealth performance, a two-layered structure can be designed, with Si3N4 and Si3N4/CNT ceramics serving as the outermost and second layers, respectively. This study provides a way to design high density Si3N4-based ceramics with infrared and radar stealth.

Tunable porous fiber-shaped strain sensor with synergistic conductive network for human motion recognition and tactile sensing

With the rapid development of portable electronic products, smart wearable devices show great application potential in personalized motion monitoring, health monitoring and even in human-machine interaction. In particular, high-performance flexible fiber-shaped strain sensors are receiving more and more attention because they can be well integrated with clothes or human skin for real-time human activities monitoring. However, achieving improved sensitivity, wide detection range, diverse applications and easy operation of them remains a challenge. Here, we adopt a simple wet-spinning technique to prepare a porous fiber-shaped carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fiber (CATF) for high-performance strain sensor, of which the synergistic conductive network of CNTs and AgNPs enables a wide detection range (∼248 %), high sensitivity (GF > 4295), fast response/recovery time (120 ms/140 ms) and excellent stability. Interestingly, strain sensing range and sensitivity of the sensor can be tuned by changing the AgNPs loading to make it suitable for different application scenarios. All the merits of the sensor make it capable for diverse human movements monitoring, pronunciation recognition, and gesture recognition. More importantly, our prepared CATF strain sensor can be easily weaved into wearable smart textiles, showing great potential for tactile sensing to realize multi-touch and pressure tracking. Finally, the CATF also displays efficient photothermal conversion capability even under different tensile strains up to 150 %, showing great potential in human body thermal management to improve the wearing comfort of wearable electronic fabric.

Bifunctional Sulfhydryl-Based Polyimides for Highly Active Cathodes of Li-S Batteries.

Sulfhydryl-based polyimides were synthesized by the nucleophilic ring-opening reaction of thiolactone monomers (BPDA-T, ODPA-T, BTDA-T) with polyethylenimine (PEI), and they were coated on carbon nanotubes as host materials (BPTP@CNT, ODTP@CNT, and BTTP@CNT) of the sulfur cathode. BPTP@CNT/S, ODTP@CNT/S, and BTTP@CNT/S as cathode materials not only promote the covalent bonding of sulfur and polysulfide with sulfhydryl-based polyimides but also reduce the shuttle effect of soluble polysulfide in the redox process. Moreover, sulfhydryl-based polyimides can help improve the compatibility and interfacial contact between sulfur and conductive carbon while alleviating the volume expansion of the cathode. In addition, the conductive network of carbon nanotubes improves the electronic conductivity of the cathode materials. The BTTP@CNT/S cathode showed superior stability (the initial capacity was 902 mAh g-1 at 1C, and the capacity retention rate was 88.58% after 500 cycles) and the initial capacity could reach 718 mAh g-1 when the sulfur loading was 4.8 mg cm-2 (electrolyte/sulfur ratio: 10 μL mg-1), which fully proves the feasibility of the large-scale application of sulfhydryl-based polyimide materials.

Enhancement of dielectric properties of acrylic resin elastomer‐based composites with SiO2 loaded carbon nanotubes

AbstractThe inherent balance between dielectric constant and loss restricts the actual usage of dielectric elastomer actuators with high actuation strains, proposing a method that can break this trade‐off has been an urgent query. In this work, silica‐loaded carbon nanotubes (called SiO2@CNT) were prepared as dopants for acrylic resin elastomers (abbreviated as ARE) using the sol–gel method, and the obtained SiO2@CNT/ARE composites reached a dielectric constant of 282.5 at 100 Hz at a filler content of 3.22 vol%, which is 86 times higher than that of the pure ARE, whereas the dielectric loss remains at 0.17. The equilibrium between dielectric constant and loss is broken mainly based on the loading of SiO2 which inhibits the formation of carbon nanotube conductive network and concurrently reinforces the compatibility of the filler with ARE. Such a design offers a generalizable strategy for the subsequent preparation of polymer‐based composite films with excellent dielectric properties.Highlights Preparation of fillers with excellent dispersibility in the organic phase. The ARE‐based composites exhibit excellent dielectric properties at 100 Hz. The mechanism of increase in dielectric constant is explained using two models.

High entropy alloy nanoparticles dual-decorated with nitrogen-doped carbon and carbon nanotubes as promising electrocatalysts for lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have the advantages of high-energy-density, low cost, and environmental friendliness, but the sluggish sulfur redox reactions and the severe shuttle effect of lithium polysulfide (LiPSs) affect their performance. Herein, we developed a highly efficient electrocatalyst (CNT/HEA-NC) consisting of high-entropy alloy (HEA) nanoparticles decorated with nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) conductive networks. In the elaborate nanostructured protocol, the HEA nanoparticles with high catalytic activity accelerate the bidirectional conversion of LiPSs, the NC with strong sulfophilic activity effectively adsorb LiPSs to suppress the shuttle effect, and the CNT conductive network provides a fast electrons/ions transport pathway. Benefiting from the hierarchical confinement, Li–S batteries with CNT/HEA-NC modified separators deliver a discharge specific capacity of 692.0 mA h g−1 after 300 cycles at 1 C with a capacity decay rate of only 0.03 % per cycle. Even at a current density of 5 C, the cell exhibits a superior capacity of 521.1 mAh g−1. This work provides a general strategy for integrating multifunctional electrocatalysts for high-performance Li–S batteries.

Charge Dispersion Strategy for High-Performance and Rain-Proof Triboelectric Nanogenerator.

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is becoming a sustainable and renewable way of energy harvesting and self-powered sensing because of low cost, simple structure, and high efficiency. However, the output current of existing TENGs is still low. It is proposed that the output current of TENGs can be dramatically improved if the triboelectric charges can distribute inside the triboelectric layers. Herein, a novel single-electrode conductive network-based TENG (CN-TENG) is developed by introducing a conductive network of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in dielectric triboelectric layer of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). In this CN-TENG, the contact electrification-induced charges distribute on both the surface and interior of the dielectric TPU layer. Thus, the short-circuit current of CN-TENG improves for 100-fold, compared with that of traditional dielectric TENG. In addition, this CN-TENG, even without packing, can work stably in high-humidity environments and even in the rain, which is another main challenge for conventional TENGs due to charge leakage. Further, this CN-TENG is applied for the first time, to successfully distinguish conductive and dielectric materials. This work provides a new and effective strategy to fabricate TENGs with high output current and humidity-resistivity, greatly expanding their practical applications in energy harvesting, movement sensing, human-machine interaction, and so on.

Scalable, roll-to-roll manufacturing of multiscale nanoparticle/fiber composites using electrophoretic deposition: Novel multifunctional in situ sensing applications

Multiscale composites, where traditional fiber reinforcements are combined with nanoscale reinforcements, have emerged as multifunctional materials and have found potential for in situ strain and damage sensing, and energy harvesting/storage applications. Critical to the advancement of future applications is the development of manufacturing techniques that are industrially scalable. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) can uniformly coat functionalized nanoparticles, such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), on conductive and non-conductive fiber substrates, producing multiscale composites with controlled microstructures and functional properties. In this research, a pilot-scale roll-to-roll EPD system is developed to continuously manufacture CNT-integrated fabrics for in situ sensing applications. Based on fundamental knowledge of CNT deposition mechanisms, key experiments are conducted to determine electrode configurations to optimize deposition yield in the roll-to-roll process. Functionalized CNTs are then deposited on 4–6 m long continuous rolls of randomly oriented non-woven glass fiber veil with different areal weights, and the CNTs form a continuous, conductive fiber-level coating. The thin and open fabric microstructure allows embedded sensors that are minimally invasive to the composite structure and allow ultraviolet (UV) light transmittance for use with UV-curable resins. The electrically conductive CNT network created on the fabric allows for the integration of sensing functionality. Short beam specimens with the CNT sensors embedded at the midplane showed no deterioration in strength. Multiple functionalities, including strain sensing and flow/UV cure monitoring during vacuum infusion are demonstrated. Sensors tested under flexural loading demonstrated sensitivity in tension and compression, and during resin infusion, the sensors could track resin flow and cure progression.

Nanoscale Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes in a Metal Matrix to Boost Thermal and Electrical Conductivity via Facile Ball Milling Techniques.

Carbon nanotube (CNT)/metal composites have attracted much attention due to their enhanced electrical and thermal performance. How to achieve the scalable fabrication of composites with efficient dispersion of CNTs to boost their performance remains a challenge for their wide realistic applications. Herein, the nanoscale dispersion of CNTs in the Stannum (Sn) matrix to boost thermal and electrical conductivity via facile ball milling techniques was demonstrated. The results revealed that CNTs were tightly attached to metal Sn, resulting in a much lower resistivity than that of bare Sn. The resistivity of Sn with 1 wt.% and 2 wt.% CNTs was 0.087 mΩ·cm and 0.056 mΩ·cm, respectively. The theoretical calculation showed that there was an electronic state near the Fermi level, suggesting its electrical conductivity had been improved to a certain extent. In addition, the thermal conductivity of Sn with 2 wt.% CNTs was 1.255 W·m-1·K-1. Moreover, Young's modulus of the composites with CNTs mass fraction of 10 wt.% had low values (0.933 MPa) under low strain conditions, indicating the composite shows good potential for various applications with different flexible requirements. The good electrical and thermal conductive CNT networks were formed in the metal matrix via facile ball milling techniques. This strategy can provide guidance for designing high-performance metal samples and holds a broad application potential in electronic packaging and other fields.

Lotus Leaf Derived NiS/Carbon Nanofibers/Porous Carbon Heterogeneous Structures for Strong and Broadband Microwave Absorption.

Developing composite materials with the synergistic effects of heterogeneous structures and multiple components is considered as a promising strategy to achieve high-performance electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers. To further satisfy the demand of broadband and strong microwave absorption, a novel NiS/carbon nanofibers (CNFs)/porous carbon composite is successfully synthesized by hydrothermal and chemical vapor deposition using lotus leaves as a biomass carbon source. A few carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and uniformly dispersed Ni nanocrystals have also been found in the hybrid. Benefiting from the porous structure derived from lotus leaves, the combination of dielectric NiS, conductive carbon nanomaterials, and magnetic Ni nanoparticles, together with the three-dimensional conductive network of CNFs and CNTs, the remarkable EMW absorption properties with a minimum reflection loss up to -67.65 dB have been achieved at merely 2.32 mm. Besides, the widest effective absorption band can reach 5.9 GHz with a thin thickness of 2.07 mm, covering almost the entire Ku band. In addition, under the incident angle of 31°, the radar cross-section reduction value of LNSF-600 can reach 42.88 dBm2. Therefore, this work provides an efficient and facile method for manufacturing outstanding biomass-derived EMW absorbers.

Anisotropic and Highly Sensitive Flexible Strain Sensors Based on Carbon Nanotubes and Iron Nanowires for Human-Computer Interaction Systems.

Flexible strain sensors for multi-directional strain detection are crucial in complicated hman-computer interaction (HCI) applications. However, enhancing the anisotropy and sensitivity of the sensors for multi-directional detection in a simple and effective method remains a significant issue. Therefore, this study proposes a flexible strain sensor with anisotropy and high sensitivity based on a high-aspect-ratio V-groove array and a hybrid conductive network of iron nanowires and carbon nanotubes (Fe NWs/CNTs). The sensor exhibits significant anisotropy, with a difference in strain detection sensitivity of up to 35.92 times between two mutually perpendicular directions. Furthermore, the dynamic performance of the sensor shows a good response rate, ranging from 223 ms to 333 ms. The sensor maintains stability and consistent performance even after undergoing 1000 testing cycles. Additionally, the constructed flexible strain sensor is tested using the remote control application of a trolley, demonstrating its high potential for usage in practical HCI systems. This research offers a significant competitive advantage in the development of flexible strain sensors in the field of HCI.

Thermoplastic Polyurethane/Carbon Nanotube Composites for Stretchable Flexible Pressure Sensors

Developing conductive polymer composites (CPCs) with high stretchability and high resistance response is a challenge in the field of flexible sensing. In this study, porous CPCs with a microdome array on the surface are prepared based on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). TPU/CNT composites are designed to be strain sensors and pressure sensors capable of monitoring external strain and pressure stimuli. Due to the excellent electrical properties of carbon nanotubes, the synergistic effect of composite surface microstructure, and an internal porous structure, the sensor has greatly improved the detection range and sensitivity of traditional sensors. The sensing properties of CPC materials in terms of strain and pressure monitoring are perfectly balanced. The detection ranges of the strain sensor and pressure sensor are 0–160% and 0–55 kPa, respectively, and the highest sensitivity is gauge factor (GF) = 12.88 (90–160%) and sensitivity S = 0.08 (0–6.5 kPa), respectively. Based on the reversible change of the CNT conductive network under tensile/compression loading, the sensor has excellent stability and durability during cyclic loading. In addition, the TPU/CNT composite sensors can monitor human movements, bending of composite components, and pressure positions, showing great application prospects in electronic skin, wearable smart devices, and human–computer interaction.

Laser-Formed Sensors with Electrically Conductive MWCNT Networks for Gesture Recognition Applications.

Currently, an urgent need in the field of wearable electronics is the development of flexible sensors that can be attached to the human body to monitor various physiological indicators and movements. In this work, we propose a method for forming an electrically conductive network of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in a matrix of silicone elastomer to make stretchable sensors sensitive to mechanical strain. The electrical conductivity and sensitivity characteristics of the sensor were improved by using laser exposure, through the effect of forming strong carbon nanotube (CNT) networks. The initial electrical resistance of the sensors obtained using laser technology was ~3 kOhm (in the absence of deformation) at a low concentration of nanotubes of 3 wt% in composition. For comparison, in a similar manufacturing process, but without laser exposure, the active material had significantly higher values of electrical resistance, which was ~19 kOhm in this case. The laser-fabricated sensors have a high tensile sensitivity (gauge factor ~10), linearity of >0.97, a low hysteresis of 2.4%, tensile strength of 963 kPa, and a fast strain response of 1 ms. The low Young's modulus values of ~47 kPa and the high electrical and sensitivity characteristics of the sensors made it possible to fabricate a smart gesture recognition sensor system based on them, with a recognition accuracy of ~94%. Data reading and visualization were performed using the developed electronic unit based on the ATXMEGA8E5-AU microcontroller and software. The obtained results open great prospects for the application of flexible CNT sensors in intelligent wearable devices (IWDs) for medical and industrial applications.

Hollow carbon dual-decorated with MnO2 shielding layer and carbon nanotube as a sulfur host for Li-S batteries

The shuttle effect of polysulfides and sluggish reaction kinetics have been the main obstacles for the practical applications of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, we report a rationally designed sulfur cathode (DLHC/S@MnO2-ACNT) based on double-layered hollow carbon sphere (DLHC) decorated with manganese dioxide (MnO2) shielding layer and carbon nanotube conductive network (ACNT). The Ultramicrotome technique demonstrates that S and MnO2 nanosheets are mainly located into the interlayer of the DLHC. In the elaborate nanostructured protocol, the interlayer MnO2 nanosheets catalyze the conversion of polysulfides and the surface MnO2 nanosheets effectively adsorb polysulfides to suppress the shuttle effect. Additionally, the ACNT conductive network facilitates electrons/ions transport. Benefiting from the hierarchical confinement, Li-S batteries with DLHC/S@MnO2-ACNT composite cathodes exhibit a high reversible capacity of 1051 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C and a remarkable cycling stability over 500 cycles at 1 C. Even at a high sulfur loading of 4 mg cm−2, the cell delivers a superior areal capacity of 4.47 mAh cm−2. This work provides a new route to the design of hierarchical confinement sulfur hosts for high-performance Li-S batteries.

Flexible high-capacity and long-cyclability hydrogel batteries enabled by polyvalent vanadium ion redox chemistry

Aqueous secondary batteries based on nonflammable electrolytes are attracting extensive attention due to high safety, fast reaction kinetics, and low cost. Herein, we report the development of flexible hydrogel batteries based on polyvalent vanadium ion redox chemistry. In this battery, symmetrical composite hydrogel electrodes used as both cathode and anode are prepared by in-situ fabrication of highly porous 3D poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) scaffold alongside conductive multi-walled carbon nanotube networks and swollen with redox-active vanadium ion electrolyte. The abundant nanoscale porosity and channels in the hydrogel matrix are conducive to the infiltration/diffusion of vanadium ions and H+ ions, thus enabling high areal loading mass (13 mgv cm−2) and large areal capacity (0.99 mAh cm−2). The active materials in the flexible electrodes exist in the form of composite hydrogel state, which is beneficial to facilitate ion transport and electrochemical kinetics, delivering an impressive power density of 11 mW cm−2 at 10 mA cm−2. Moreover, the flexible vanadium ion hydrogel batteries also exhibit excellent mechanical properties and long-term durability of 1000 cycles. These merits make them promising for the applications in wearable and smart electronics.

Construction of unique conductive networks in carbon nanotubes/polymer composites via poly(ε-caprolactone) inducing partial aggregation of carbon nanotubes for microwave shielding enhancement

• Unique conductive networks of individual CNTs and CNT clusters are constructed. • Poly(ε-caprolactone) inducing partial aggregation of CNTs creates CNT clusters. • The unique conductive networks show high conductivity and microwave SE. • Balance amounts for CNTs and PCL exist for the unique conductive networks. • Polymer pairs are important to form the unique conductive networks. Herein, a unique conductive network, which includes individual carbon nanotubes (CNT) and some CNT clusters (CNT/CNT-cluster) formed via poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) inducing partial aggregation of CNTs, is constructed in CNTs filled CPCs. Three different kinds of polymers, which are isotactic polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polylactic acid (PLA), are used to evaluate the effect of polymer matrix on the unique conductive network. A comparative study on the electrical conductivity and microwave shielding properties are also carried in these composites. The effect of CNTs and PCL loadings on the formation of CNT-clusters in the samples is also discussed in this study. Due to PCL inducing partial aggregation of CNTs and the good distribution of residue CNTs in PLA, the excellent CNT/CNT-cluster conductive network is formed in the CNT/PCL/PLA composites. Comparing with the traditional conductive network, the CNT/CNT-cluster conductive network exhibits high efficiency for improving electrical conductivity and microwave shielding property.

Accelerating redox kinetics by ZIF-67 derived amorphous cobalt phosphide electrocatalyst for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

The feasibility of the commercialization of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is troubled by sluggish redox conversion kinetics and the shuttle effect of polysulfides. Herein, a zeolitic imidazolate framework derived amorphous CoP combined with carbon nanotubes conductive network composites (aCoP@CNTs) has been synthesized as an effective dual-electrocatalyst for accelerating the redox kinetics of polysulfides to prolong the lifespan of Li-S batteries. Compared with crystalline CoP, unsaturated Co atoms of aCoP@CNTs exhibit stronger chemical adsorption capacity for polysulfides and serve as catalytic centers to accelerate the conversion from soluble polysulfides to solid-state lithium sulfide. Meanwhile, the 3D porous conductive network not only facilitates ion/electron transportation but also forms a physical barrier to limit the migration of polysulfides. Benefiting from the above preponderances, the batteries with aCoP@CNTs modified interlayer exhibited excellent cycle stability (initial discharge capacity of 1227.9 mAh g-1 at 0.2 C), rate performance (795.9 mAh g-1 at 2.5 C), long-term cycle reliability (decay rate of 0.049% per cycle at 1 C over 1000 cycles), and superior high-loading performance (high initial discharge capacity of 886 mAh g-1 and 753.6 mAh g-1 at 1 C under high S loading of 3 mg cm-2 and 4 mg cm-2).

Three-in-one organic-inorganic heterostructures: From scalable ball-milling synthesis to freestanding cathodes with high areal capacity for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) have great potential in large-scale energy storage, however, developing suitable cathodes with high energy/power densities remains highly challenging. Herein, a unique organic-inorganic heterostructures (denoted as Ov-PVO/G) of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) intercalated V2O5 nanocrystals anchored on few-layer graphene by a simple and scalable ball-milling approach are demonstrated for high areal-capacity AZIBs cathodes, in which, adjusted interlayer spacing, abundant oxygen vacancies and robust heterointerfaces can be simultaneously constructed. Moreover, the feature of being well dispersed in different polar solvents (H2O, NMP, etc.) enable facile incorporation of the Ov-PVO/G heterostructures into conductive networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes to fabricate freestanding composite cathodes. Electrochemical measurement and first-principles calculations indicate that such “Three-in-One” heterostructure can significantly enhance Zn2+ adsorption/desorption, electrical conductivity and charge transfer due to strong synergy, thereby exhibiting high-capacity and accelerated reaction kinetics during cycling. Specifically, at a practical mass loading of 12.0 mg/cm2, the freestanding Ov-PVO/G cathodes show a high areal-capacity of 6.1 mAh/cm2 at 2.4 mA/cm2 and works stable with an area-capacity of 1.63 mAh/cm2 at 120 mA/cm2 after 500 cycles. More importantly, flexible soft-packaged AZIBs based on 3×3 cm2 high mass-loading Ov-PVO/G cathodes deliver record-high and stable electric energy beyond 21.5 mAh at different bending states. This work paves a more promising way to practical application of high-performance AZIBs.

Atomic H*-mediated electrochemical removal of low concentration antimonite and recovery of antimony from water

Compounds containing antimony (Sb) are broadly used as starting materials for a wide range of industrial products, leading to serious water pollution associated with Sb rock mining as well as Sb leaching. Herein, we proposed an innovative design of an electrified membrane consisted of bimetallic palladium and iron nanoparticles (Pd-Fe NPs) supported on conductive carbon nanotube (CNT) networks. The nanohybrid filter enabled effective generation and retainment of atomic hydrogen (H*) under an electric field, which further contributed to the complete electroreduction of antimonite (Sb(III)). The highest atomic H* yield and Sb(III) removal kinetics were identified once a potential of −1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl was exerted. Compared to the pristine CNT, Pd-CNT and Fe-CNT filters, the reaction rate constant of the Pd/Fe-CNT filter was increased 5.15-, 2.39-, and 1.76-fold, respectively for electrochemical removal of Sb(III). The results denoted that the superior performance of the Pd/Fe-CNT nanohybrid filter originated from: (1) the flow-through design, which enhanced mass transport, (2) the bimetallic design, which increased the catalytic activity, and (3) the collective contribution from atomic H*-mediated indirect reduction and direct electron transfer reduction mechanisms. The robust system performance occurred over a broad range of pH values, a variety of water matrices and can withstand several cycles of experiments. Our findings highlight an effective electro-filtration strategy to induce atomic H*-mediated electrochemical removal and recovery of Sb from water.

Integrated reactor architecture of conductive network and catalytic nodes to accelerate polysulfide conversion for durable and high-loading Li-S batteries

The development of carbon-based heterogeneous framework host with synergistic catalytic and conductive effects for sulfur cathode is a promising strategy to realize high performance lithium sulfur batteries (LSBs). Here, an integrated reactor architecture with defective carbon nodes (IRA-DC) is designed for serving as high-loading (92.4 wt%) sulfur host. The hierarchical porous IRA-DC consists of untangled conductive carbon nanotube network and Co/N co-doped catalytic nodes with high dispersity. Therein the optimization of electric field distribution and homogenization of adsorption-catalysis sites offer the multi-electron conversion reaction of polysulfides with excellent kinetics and stability. The resultant IRA-DC/S cathode enables a high areal capacity of 8.86 mAh cm−2 under ultra-high sulfur loading (13.1 mg cm−2) and lean electrolyte (8 μL mgsulfur−1). It also displays a long-term cycling performance (1200 cycles at 1 C) and ultrahigh rate performance up to 20 C (with a capacity of 473.6 mAh g−1). This work provides an electrode building strategy by optimizing the environments of heterogeneous electrocatalysis and micro electric field to activate the polysulfide conversion efficiency and utilization of high-loading sulfur in monolithic sulfur-carbon cathodes.