Molecular Engineering of Polymer Brushes Enables Lithium–Sulfur Battery Stable Operation under Ultra‐Wide Temperature Range
Abstract
Abstract Achieving stable operation under a wide temperature range is a critical target for the practical applications of lithium–sulfur batteries. However, intense lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) shuttling at high‐temperature, sluggish sulfur species conversion, and inhomogeneous Li + deposition at low‐temperature severely impair the cycle lifespan of batteries. Herein, the multifunctional polymer brushes are fabricated by grafting anthraquinone‐functionalized poly(glycidyl methacrylate) brushes on graphene surfaces (G‐pGMAAQ) to simultaneously regulate the evolution of sulfur and lithium species. Combining theoretical calculations and experiments, it is revealed that G‐pGMAAQ serves as a redox mediator that reduces the LiPSs conversion energy barrier, and its unique polar brush‐like structure effectively inhibits LiPSs shuttling and homogenizes Li + flow. Hence, G‐pGMAAQ facilitates lithium–sulfur batteries stable operation in an ultra‐wide temperature range (−40–70 °C). Furthermore, the Ah‐level pouch cell achieves an energy density of 417 Wh kg −1 , demonstrating the commercial potential of polymer brushes for lithium–sulfur batteries.
Article Details
Authors (12)
Borui Li
School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Technology Innovation Center of High Performance Resin Materials (Liaoning Province)
Wanyuan Jiang
State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Technology Innovation Center of High Performance Resin Materials (Liaoning Province)
Yunpeng Qu
School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Technology Innovation Center of High Performance Resin Materials (Liaoning Province)
Wenkai Song
Xin Jin
Mengfan Pei
School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Technology Innovation Center of High Performance Resin Materials (Liaoning Province)
Shuo Zhuo
School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Technology Innovation Center of High Performance Resin Materials (Liaoning Province)
Runyue Mao
School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Technology Innovation Center of High Performance Resin Materials (Liaoning Province)
Lin Wang
Dongming Liu
School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Technology Innovation Center of High Performance Resin Materials (Liaoning Province)
Xigao Jian
School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Technology Innovation Center of High Performance Resin Materials (Liaoning Province)
Fangyuan Hu
School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, Technology Innovation Center of High Performance Resin Materials (Liaoning Province)