A general dissolution–recrystallization strategy to achieve sulfur-encapsulated carbon for an advanced lithium–sulfur battery

Abstract

Herein, a general strategy is first proposed to fabricate a class of carbon@S cathodes via dissolution recrystallization of granular sulfur into a uniform sulfur layer-encapsulated carbon in a selective solution, guided by density functional theory calculations and the mechanism of crystal nucleation and growth. Significantly, all the carbon@S (SWNT@S, MWNT@S, and YP80@S) cathodes deliver superior rate performance and good cyclic durability. Furthermore, a flexible pouch Li–S battery, assembled based on a free-standing SWNT@S film, was demonstrated with good mechanical properties and deformation durability.