Sulfur-infused multi-layer graphene elevating aqueous lithium-sulfur battery lifespan

The capillary filling method, assisted by sonication, was employed to successfully fabricate sulfur/multi-layer graphene (S@MLG) nanocomposites intended for use as anodes in aqueous rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries. The optimized S@MLG nanocomposite electrode, designated as S@MLG-50, exhibited outstanding electrochemical performance when compared to the LiMn2O4 cathode. At discharge rates of 0.5-3 A g-1, the beginning discharge capacities were recorded at 1564 mA h g-1 and 698 mAh g-1 (according to the sulfur portion), respectively. Notably, the S@MLG-50 electrode showed a remarkable 91.02 % capacity retention at 3 A g-1 over 7000 cycles. This remarkable performance can be attributed to the specifically engineered nanostructure, which effectively captures polysulfides, maintains balance during sulfur volume changes in the process of lithiation/delithiation, and stops long-chain lithium polysulfides from dissolving in the water-based electrolyte. These striking results have great potential to propel the industrialization of lithium-sulfur batteries in waterbased electrolytes.