Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) is a promising next generation battery technology that has the potential to outperform the energy storage capability of Li-ion devices. The superior charge capacity that Li-S batteries can provide will have tremendous impact in a variety of applications from mobile devices to electric vehicles. However, a major roadblock to widespread use of Li-S technology is the dissolution of lithium polysulfides (Li2Sx) that occurs upon battery cycling. This process, called the “shuttle effect”, results in substantial reduction of battery capacity and cyclability over time. In the present work, we demonstrate a novel technique to chemically anchor Li2Sx using the organic linker in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to mitigate this adverse phenomenon. Maleimide (Mi) functional groups, known for reactivity towards thiols, are integrated into the linker structure to act as anchoring functionalities for Li2Sx in the Li-S cathode. Battery cycling results demonstrate that cells containing Mi-MOFs deliver high charge capacity with greatly reduced capacity fade arising from the shuttle effect. To investigate the determinants of this improvement, the mechanism of interaction between Mi and Li2Sx is studied with fluorescence, NMR, vibrational, and other spectroscopic methods. Future studies will expand to include Mi-functionalized carbon materials, in addition to continuing work with other MOFs possessing varied porosity and reactivity towards Li2Sx.

Maleimide-functionalized metal-organic frameworks for enhanced Li-S battery performance

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

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