High-speed charging, high-energy, flexible lithium-sulfur batteries based on sulfur particles with a hierarchical structure and their manufacturing method

Sulfur Cathode Material with Polysulfides Immobilized via Inverse Vulcanization of Vinylphosphonic Acid and a Porous Network

This technology is a multifunctional cathode active material that forms a 3D porous network within particles through the inverse vulcanization of vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) and sulfur. It physically encapsulates sulfur allotropes while chemically immobilizing lithium polysulfides via covalently bonded VPA moieties.

Conventional lithium-sulfur batteries suffer from short lifespans due to the shuttle effect caused by polysulfide dissolution. Furthermore, their performance is limited by low electrical conductivity, slow redox kinetics, restricted active material utilization, complex electrode manufacturing processes, and the unstable structure of vulcanized polymers.

This technology is expected to overcome the limitations of existing materials when applied to lithium secondary battery cathodes by 1) synthesizing spherical microparticles (SVPA) with a hierarchical porous structure through a one-pot reaction of sulfur and VPA at 160°C.

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Key Features:

• Poly(S-co-VPA) vulcanized polymer containing specific moieties within its molecular structure and a 3D porous network formed throughout the particles
• Cathode active material further comprising sulfur allotropes physically encapsulated within the pores of the 3D porous network
• Multifunctional particles that chemically immobilize lithium polysulfides via covalently bonded vinylphosphonic acid moieties
• Composition forming spherical microparticles with a hierarchical porous structure through the inverse vulcanization of sulfur and vinylphosphonic acid

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