Effect of porous structure on the electrochemical performance of FeS2 for lithium ion batteries.

: Porous and solid FeS2 particles are both synthesized via solid-state reaction method using FeC2O4· 2H2O and S powder as the raw materials. The difference of the mophology is adjusted by the calcination time. The porous FeS2 electrode exhibits significantly improved and less improved electrochemical performance comparing to the solid one during the initial 15 cycles and the later cycling process, respectively. The significantly improvement in the initial 15 cycles is due to the large surface area and 3D conducting network of the porous structure, which provides large active electrochemical interface of the active particles and electrolyte, and shortens the path length for Li+ transport. The less improvement during the later cycling process is attributed to the unstable porous structure, which collapses into nanoparticles after long cycles. On the basis of the analysis, a theoretical proposal to optimize the structure of FeS2 electrode is provided.