The binder is composed of Li⁺-Nafion, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and nano silica; macroporous carbon (MPC) is employed for sulfur retention in the cathode. The multi-functional binder regulates tetrasulfide movement only in MPC pores during lithiation and delithiation cycling.

In a paper published in the Journal of Power Sources, they report that sulfur lithiation capacity reaches 1373 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.2C (0.335 A g⁻¹ of S) and 470 mAh g⁻¹ at 5C (8.375 A g⁻¹ of S).

The Li-S battery achieved a rate capacity as high as 809 mAh g⁻¹ has been achieved after 300 cycles at 1C charge–discharge rate. The Li–S battery showed very low capacity degradation rate of 0.08% per cycle at 1C rate.

Resources

• Gaoran Li, Wenlong Cai, Binhong Liu, Zhoupeng Li (2015) “A multi functional binder with lithium ion conductive polymer and polysulfide absorbents to improve cycleability of lithium–sulfur batteries,” Journal of Power Sources, Volume 294, Pages 187-192 doi: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.06.083