Carbonyl‐β‐Cyclodextrin as a Novel Binder for Sulfur Composite Cathodes in Rechargeable Lithium Batteries. (4th October 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Jiulin; Yao, Zhendong; Monroe, Charles W.; Yang, Jun; Nuli, Yanna
• Is Part Of: Advanced functional materials. Volume 23:Number 9(2013)
• Page Start: 1194
• Page End: 1201
• Publication Date: 2012-10-04
• Subjects: Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201201847
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1616-301X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>As one of the essential components in electrodes, the binder affects the performance of a rechargeable battery. By modifying <italic>β</italic>‐cyclodextrin (<italic>β</italic>‐CD), an appropriate binder for sulfur composite cathodes is identified. Through a partial oxidation reaction in H₂O₂ solution, <italic>β</italic>‐CD is successfully modified to carbonyl‐<italic>β</italic>‐cyclodextrin (C‐<italic>β</italic>‐CD), which exhibits a water solubility ca. 100 times that of <italic>β</italic>‐CD at room temperature. C‐<italic>β</italic>‐CD possesses the typical properties of an aqueous binder: strong bonding strength, high solubility in water, moderate viscosity, and wide electrochemical windows. Sulfur composite cathodes with C‐<italic>β</italic>‐CD as the binder demonstrate a high reversible capacity of 694.2 mA h g_(composite)⁻¹ and 1542.7 mA h g_(sulfur)⁻¹, with a sulfur utilization approaching 92.2%. The discharge capacity remains at 1456 mA h g_(sulfur)⁻¹ after 50 cycles, which is much higher than that of the cathode with unmodified <italic>β</italic>‐CD as binder. Combined with its low cost and environmental benignity, C‐<italic>β</italic>‐CD is a promising binder for sulfur cathodes in rechargeable lithium batteries with high electrochemical performance.</p> </abstract>