Nanocarbon for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSB) are a highly regarded field of study within the energy storage field due to their potential to surpass the status-quo lithium-ion batteries (LIB) by delivering much higher theoretical energy densities. The implementation of this technology can lead to the improvement of the overall efficiency of current energy storage devices while adding an eco-friendly and economical aspect due to the abundance and low toxicity of sulfur. This chapter provides a general scope on the use of carbon nanomaterials in LSB. For that, the introduction described some of the current challenges associated with this technology and the importance of incorporating carbon-based nanomaterials to solve some of the challenges. The second section describes some of the synthetical approaches that are currently used to obtain different types of carbon nanomaterials followed by a description of the characterization methods. The third section provides a more theoretical discussion of the main property-structure relationships of carbon-based nanomaterials. Furthermore, the fourth section describes the main uses of carbon-based nanomaterials in LSB based on recent examples from the literature, while providing a discussion about the main aspects that influence the overall electrochemical properties of the fabricated devices. Lastly, a conclusion and future perspectives of the field are presented displaying the main challenges and the current hindrances that prevent the use of LSB in the market. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the main advantages and challenges related to LSB technology and possibly provide some insight to the young scientific community to engage in this promising field.