Bifunctional Additive for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries Based on the Metal–Phthalocyanine Complex

With extremely high specific capacity and high energy density, lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) have attracted enormous interest as promising candidates for energy storage devices. However, several problems, such as the shuttle effect and sluggish redox kinetics, hinder the successful realization of LSBs on an industrial scale. Therefore, designing an efficient electrode material to inhibit the shuttle effect and improve the reaction kinetics of polysulfides (LiPS) is of utmost significance. Herein, a bifunctional additive with excellent polysulfide adsorption and superior catalytic behavior is developed using the phthalocyanine-tetrasulfonic acid nickel complex tetrasodium salt (Ni-PCTs) additive. Ni-PCTs provide effective trapping of LiPS due to their abundant sulfonic acid groups. Moreover, Ni-PCTs exhibit effective catalytic conversion of LiPS due to the presence of N atoms in the phthalocyanine ring as well as the central Ni atoms. Consequently, the as-assembled LSBs, with a 10 wt % Ni-PCTs additive, exhibit a significant increase in specific capacities, such as the high initial specific capacity of 1283 mA h g –1 at 0.15 mA/cm 2 and a stable specific capacity of 623 mA h g –1 after 400 cycles. The current study demonstrates the promise of metal phthalocyanines for sulfur cathodes, opening up avenues for further research and development of LSBs.