Suppressing the Polysulfide Shuttle Effect by Heteroatom-Doping for High-Performance Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

In order to restrict the polysulfide shuttle effect and enhance sulfur utilization of lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) especially at low charge/discharge rates, a facile hydrothermal synthesis and subsequent heating melting treatment are used to synthesize the heteroatom-doped carbon nanotubes/sulfur composite cathode. The composition analysis and structure characteristics of samples are examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical performances of samples are measured by cyclic voltammetry and charge/discharge experiments. The results show that N, B, S tridoped active carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) with abundant mesoporous structure enable fast Li+ transmittal and provide strong polysulfide adsorption ability. More importantly, they offer enough mechanical strength to support high sulfur loading (77 wt %) that maximizes their chemical role and can accommodate large volume changes. The N, B, S tridoped ACNTs/S composite exhibits ...