Electrode for lithium-sulfur battery cathodes comprising cobalt-based ternary oxide nanoparticles

Lithium-Sulfur Cathode Inducing 3D Growth of Li2S via Spinel XCo2O4 Nanoparticles

This technology utilizes spinel-structured cobalt-based ternary oxide (XCo2O4) nanoparticles, engineered to have optimal binding energy for lithium polysulfides (LiPS) generated during the discharge of lithium-sulfur batteries, to induce 3D growth of lithium sulfide (Li2S) and maximize sulfur utilization.

In lithium-sulfur batteries, LiPS dissolves into the electrolyte during charge/discharge cycles, causing a shuttle effect, while the Li2S formed during discharge covers the substrate in a 2D layer, passivating the electrode. This hinders continuous sulfur conversion, leading to reduced battery capacity and cycle life.

This technology involves coating a carbon-based host, such as carbon nanotubes, with spinel-type XCo2O4 nanoparticles—specifically MnCo2O4, where Mn, Zn, Ni, or Cu is substituted into the tetrahedral sites of the cobalt oxide—to provide an optimal binding energy of 4–8 eV with LiPS. Applicable to high-sulfur-loading cathodes, high-power lithium-sulfur cells, and next-generation electric vehicle and aerospace batteries, it ensures discharge capacity and cycle stability even under high current and high sulfur content conditions.

‍

‍

Key Features:

• Electrode for lithium-sulfur battery cathodes comprising cobalt-based ternary oxide nanoparticles represented by the chemical formula XCo2O4 and having a spinel structure
• Ternary oxide nanoparticles containing an element X, selected from Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu, etc., substituted into the tetrahedral sites of the cobalt oxide
• Carbon-based host material selected from carbon black, carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes, graphene, or graphite, onto which the ternary oxide nanoparticles are coated
• Cobalt-based ternary oxide nanoparticles with a binding energy for lithium polysulfide of 4 eV to 8 eV and a diameter of 10 nm to 50 nm

‍