Surface-selective metal oxide-carbon nanotube composite, lithium-sulfur battery containing the same, and manufacturing method thereof

A composite combining adsorption and ion conduction by depositing metal oxide on only one hemisphere of carbon nanotubes

This technology is a composite structure for lithium-sulfur batteries that physically deposits metal oxide onto only one hemisphere of spherical carbon nanotube (CNT) aggregates, simultaneously securing the chemical adsorption properties of the metal oxide and ion conductivity through the exposed carbon nanotube pores.

Existing cathode materials for lithium-sulfur batteries involve coating the entire surface of carbon nanotubes with metal oxide, which increases electrode resistance, thereby lowering ion conductivity and degrading rate capability.

In this technology, spherical carbon nanotubes produced by spray drying are placed in a thermal vacuum evaporator, and metal oxides such as molybdenum oxide are coated from only one direction. This configuration allows the oxide side to capture lithium polysulfides while the exposed pores facilitate the rapid movement of ions and electrons. It can be applied to lithium-sulfur battery cathodes, sulfur host materials, and functional carbon electrodes that require high-rate charge and discharge, minimizing electrode resistance while maintaining polysulfide adsorption capacity.

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Key Features:

• Carbon nanotubes that are densely packed into a spherical shape, containing multiple pores and including a surface where the pores are exposed
• Metal oxide that is in contact with the upper surface of the carbon nanotubes and is located on one hemisphere of the carbon nanotubes according to EDS mapping
• A lithium-sulfur battery comprising a cathode where the sulfur reduction reaction occurs, an anode, and an electrolyte, including the metal oxide-carbon nanotube composite
• A step of placing densely packed spherical carbon nanotubes into a thermal vacuum evaporator and coating the metal oxide from one direction

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