A Protein‐Based Janus Separator for Trapping Polysulfides and Regulating Ion Transport in Lithium−Sulfur Batteries. Issue 10 (21st April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Min; Fu, Xuewei; Liu, Jin; Chen, Zhiping; Zhong, Wei‐Hong
• Is Part Of: ChemSusChem. Volume 14:Issue 10(2021)
• Page Start: 2226
• Page End: 2236
• Publication Date: 2021-04-21
• Subjects: electrochemistry -- electrospinning -- Janus separator -- Li−S batteries -- shuttle effect; Green chemistry -- Periodicals; Sustainable engineering -- Periodicals; Chemistry -- Periodicals; Chemical engineering -- Periodicals; 660
• DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202100568
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1864-5631

Abstract

Abstract: Lithium−sulfur (Li−S) batteries are a promising candidate for the next‐generation energy storage system, yet their commercialization is primarily hindered by polysulfide shuttling and uncontrollable Li dendrite growth. Here, a protein‐based Janus separator was designed and fabricated for suppressing both the shuttle effect and dendrite growth, while facilitating the Li + transport. The Li metal‐protecting layer was a protein/MoS2 nanofabric with high ionic conductivity and good Li + affinity, thus capable of homogenizing the Li + flux and facilitating the Li + transport. The polysulfide‐trapping layer was a conductive protein nanofabric enabling strong chemical/electrostatic interactions with polysulfides. Combination of the two layers was achieved by an integrated electrospinning method, yielding a robust and integral Janus separator. As a result, a long‐lived symmetric Li|Li cell (>700 h) with stable cycling performance was demonstrated. More significantly, the resulting Li−S battery delivered greatly improved electrochemical performance, including excellent rate capacity and remarkable cycle stability (with a low decay rate of 0.063 % per cycle at 0.5 A g −1 over 500 cycles). This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the Janus separator configurations for simultaneously addressing the shuttle effect and dendrite growth issues of Li−S batteries and broadens the applications of electrospinning in electrochemistry community. Abstract : Spin to win : An integrated electrospinning method is applied to fabricate a protein‐based Janus separator that can trap polysulfides, facilitating Li + transport and regulating uniform Li + deposition in Li−S batteries.