Freeze-Drying-Assisted ZIF-67 Template-Derived Co@NCS Porous Composite as Sulfur Cathode Host for Improved Li–S Battery Performance: Deconvolution of Diffusive and Capacitive Li⁺ Storage

A zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-67) template-derived cobalt@nitrogen-doped carbon–sulfur composite (ZIF-Co@NCS) was synthesized using a freeze-drying method and explored for lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. Material characterizations confirmed the formation of the ZIF-Co@NCS composite. To fabricate the Li–S battery in a coin-type CR-2032 cell, the as-synthesized ZIF-Co@NCS composite having a sulfur content of ∼65% was used as a cathode material and coupled with a lithium metal anode. This battery demonstrated exceptional cycling stability over 600 charge–discharge cycles with a steady capacity of 550 mAh g –1 at 0.05 C-rate. The good electrochemical performance of the cathode was ascribed to the nanofeatures associated with the freeze-dried porous carbon structure, which offered enough space for the sulfur cathode. The enhanced trapping of polysulfide facilitated by the presence of the Co–N sites in the ZIF-Co@NCS composite led to excellent cycling stability. The derived cathode composite showed a high specific capacity, outstanding rate capability, and excellent cyclic stability rendering it a promising candidate for high-performance Li–S batteries. Detailed Li + ion charge storage examined by means of Dunn’s method revealed a significant capacitive mode of charge storage both at peak currents and nonpeak currents. The post-mortem analysis of the cycled cathode using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy at different depth-of-discharge (DOD) values revealed the stepwise formation of discharge products.