Smart construction of cobalt-nitrogen co-doped hollow porous carbon nanopolyhedra for enhanced Lithium-sulfur batteries
摘要
Lithium-sulfur batteries hold great potential as next-generation energy storage devices; however, their practical use is limited by the low conductivity of elemental sulfur and the significant “shuttle effect” that occurs in sulfur-based electrodes. This study proposes a co-doping strategy involving cobalt and nitrogen to enhance the interaction between lithium sulfide and the host material. Cobalt-nitrogen co-doped hollow porous carbon nanopolyhedra (H-CoNC) were prepared as efficient sulfur host materials. The Zeolite imidazole skeleton (Zn/Co-ZIF), derived from a metal-organic framework (MOF), exhibits enhanced chemical adsorption capabilities of cobalt nanoparticles on polysulfides, thereby improving the effective utilization of active sulfur. Simultaneously, the MOF framework undergoes carbonization at elevated temperatures, resulting in a hollow porous carbon material that imparts high conductivity to the skeleton and provides abundant pathways for Li + diffusion. Due to its distinctive structure, H-CoNC@S mitigates the shuttle effect and improves the polysulfide reaction kinetics as a cathode. Leveraging these advantages, the H-CoNC@S cathode retains a specific capacity of 692 mAh g⁻¹ after 150 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g⁻¹, exhibiting a high capacity retention rate of 92.2%. Furthermore, it delivers a reversible discharge capacity of 512 mAh g⁻¹ at a high rate of 500 mA g⁻¹, illustrating its potential for practical applications in lithium-sulfur batteries.