Restraining polysulfide shuttling by designing a dual adsorption structure of bismuth encapsulated into carbon nanotube cavity

Abstract

The shuttle effect derived from the dissolution of lithium polysulfides (LIPs) seriously hinders commercialization of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. Hence, we skillfully designed 1D cowpea-like CNTs@Bi composites with a double adsorption structure, where the bismuth nanoparticles/nanorods are encapsulated in the cavities of CNTs, avoiding the aggregation of bismuth nanoparticles during cycling and improving the conductivity of the electrode. Meanwhile, the sulfur was evenly distributed on the surface of bismuth nanoparticles/nanorods, ensuring effective catalytic activity and displaying high sulfur loading. Under the synergetic effects of the physical detention of abundant pores and chemical adsorption of bismuth, LIPs can be minimised, effectively curbing the shuttle effect. Benefiting from the above advantages, the CNTs@Bi/S cathodes exhibit a high capacity of 1352 mA h g⁻¹, long cycling lifespan (708 mA h g⁻¹ after 200 cycles at 1 C) and excellent coulombic efficiency. As the anodes of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the CNTs@Bi composites also show excellent performance due to the encapsulated structure to accommodate the serious volume change. This work offers an innovative strategy for improving the performances of the Li–S batteries and LIBs.