Rational design of CoN nanoparticle loaded porous carbon as a sulfur matrix for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have a high specific capacity of 1675 mAh g and are considered to be a promising next-generation energy storage system. A sulfur host for loading CoN nanoparticles into porous carbon has been designed as the cathode for high-performance Li-S batteries. The porous carbon successfully confines sulfur and CoN in the pores, and the synergistic effect of physical and chemical adsorption can effectively inhibit the dissolution and diffusion of polysulfides. Besides, the CoN nanoparticles can also catalyze the redox reaction kinetics. At a current density of 0.5 C, S@KJ-CoN cathodes deliver a high specific discharge capacity of 958.3 mAh g and retain at 784.0 mAh g after 200 cycles, corresponding to a decay rate of 0.09% per cycle. It is believed that this work can provide a promising strategy for the design of many energy storage systems.