Cha Eunho, Patel Mumukshu, Bhoyate Sanket, Prasad Vish, Choi Wonbong
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of North Texas, North Texas Discovery Park, 3940 North Elm St. Suite E-132, Denton, TX 76207, USA.
Nanoscale Horiz. 2020 May 1;5(5):808-831. doi: 10.1039/c9nh00730j. Epub 2020 Mar 11.
Rapidly increasing markets for electric vehicles (EVs), energy storage for backup support systems and high-power portable electronics demand batteries with higher energy densities and longer cycle lives. Among the various electrochemical energy storage systems, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have the potential to become the next generation rechargeable batteries because of their high specific energy at low cost. However, the development of practical Li-S batteries for commercial products has been challenged by several obstacles, including unstable cycle life and low sulfur utilization. Only a few studies have considered the importance of low electrolyte and high sulfur loading to improve the overall energy densities of Li-S cells. This article reviews the recent developments of Li-S batteries that can meet the benchmarks of practical parameters and exceed the practical energy density of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) including areal sulfur loading of at least 4 mg cm, electrolyte to sulfur ratio of less than 10 μL mg, and high cycling stability of over 300 cycles. This review presents the advancements in each component in Li-S batteries, including the enhancement of the electrochemical properties of sulfur cathodes, lithium anodes, or electrolytes. Also identified are several important strategies of nanoengineering and how they address the practical limitations of Li-S batteries to compete against LIBs. Additionally, perspectives on fundamentals, technology, and materials are provided for the development of Li-S batteries based on nanomaterials and nanoengineering so that they can enter the market of high energy density rechargeable storage systems.
电动汽车（EV）、备用支持系统储能以及高功率便携式电子产品市场的迅速增长，需要能量密度更高、循环寿命更长的电池。在各种电化学储能系统中，锂硫（Li-S）电池因其低成本下的高比能量而有潜力成为下一代可充电电池。然而，开发用于商业产品的实用Li-S电池面临着几个障碍，包括循环寿命不稳定和硫利用率低。只有少数研究考虑了低电解液和高硫负载对提高Li-S电池整体能量密度的重要性。本文综述了Li-S电池的最新进展，这些进展能够满足实际参数基准，并超过锂离子电池（LIB）的实际能量密度，包括至少4 mg cm的面硫负载、小于10 μL mg的电解液与硫的比例，以及超过300次循环的高循环稳定性。本综述介绍了Li-S电池各组件的进展，包括硫阴极、锂阳极或电解液电化学性能的增强。还确定了纳米工程的几个重要策略，以及它们如何解决Li-S电池与LIB竞争的实际限制。此外，还基于纳米材料和纳米工程为Li-S电池的发展提供了关于基础、技术和材料的观点，以便它们能够进入高能量密度可充电存储系统市场。
