Nitrogen and Sulfur Doped Carbon Cloth as Current Collector and Polysulfide Immobilizer for Magnesium-Sulfur Batteries

The combination of Mg and S is considered as an attractive candidate for metal-sulfur batteries due to their high volumetric energy density and adequate existence of natural resources. However, Mg-S batteries suffer from polysulfide dissolution and shuttling which leads to reduced cycle life and stability. Here we report the significance of the chemical interaction between magnesium polysulfide and N, S dual-doped carbon cloth for improving the cycle life. Compared to undoped carbon cloth, the dual-doped carbon cloth as current collector shows improved electrochemical performance. When the dual-doped carbon cloth as current collector is used in Mg-S cell, it retains the capacity up to 388 mAhg(-1) after 40 cycles. The mechanisms of Mg-S battery and chemical interaction of polysulfides with dopant are investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technique. The report clearly directs a new way to improve the performance of Mg-S battery using a modified current collector.