Mesoporous tungsten carbide-reduced graphene oxide composite, method for manufacturing the same, and lithium-sulfur battery comprising the same

Separator coating layer using mesoporous tungsten carbide/rGO aerogel to trap polysulfides

This technology forms an aerogel-type separator coating layer by compositing mesoporous tungsten carbide (meso WC) with reduced graphene oxide (rGO). It suppresses the dissolution and shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides that occur during lithium-sulfur battery operation and induces catalytic reactions.

During the charge/discharge process of lithium-sulfur batteries, a 'shuttle effect' occurs where lithium polysulfides generated at the cathode dissolve into the electrolyte and migrate to the anode, leading to issues such as active material loss, capacity reduction, decreased coulombic efficiency, and degraded electrode performance.

This technology involves mixing mesoporous tungsten carbide, obtained by heat-treating tungsten oxide monohydrate, with graphene oxide in a specific ratio (2–5:1), followed by an autoclave reaction and reduction process to produce an aerogel-structured composite. By coating this onto a separator, it can be used to enhance both the quality and productivity of secondary battery separators.

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Key Features:

• Step of producing tungsten oxide monohydrate powder through hydrothermal synthesis followed by drying
• Step of heat-treating the produced tungsten oxide monohydrate to obtain mesoporous tungsten carbide
• Step of mixing mesoporous tungsten carbide with a graphene oxide dispersion and reacting it in an autoclave
• Configuration of forming the composite into an aerogel and applying it as a separator coating layer for lithium-sulfur batteries

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