Polyelectrolyte Binder for Sulfur Cathode To Improve the Cycle Performance and Discharge Property of Lithium–Sulfur Battery

To achieve the higher capacity and the better cycle performance of the lithium–sulfur (L–S) batteries, a copolymer electrolyte prepared via emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization was used as the binder for the sulfur cathode in this study. This polyelectrolyte binder has uniform dispersion and good Li+ conductivity in the cathode that can improve the kinetics of sulfur electrochemical reactions. As a result, the capacity and cycle performance of the battery are improved evidently when the cell is discharged to 1.8 V. Moreover, when the cell is discharged to 1.5 V, the difficult deposition of Li2S2 will take place easily at 1.75 V, and the difficult transformation from solid Li2S2 to solid Li2S will progress smoothly and completely during the voltage range of 1.55–1.75 V, too. The capacity of this L–S battery discharged to 1.5 V is as much as 1700 mAh g–1, which is very close to the theoretical value of sulfur cathode. The knowledge acquired in this study is valuable not only for the design of an efficient new polyelectrolyte binder for sulfur cathode but also the discovery that the discharge degree is the main fact that limits the capacity to reach its theoretical value.