Coaxial Carbon/MnO2 Hollow Nanofibers as Sulfur Hosts for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have recently attracted a large amount of attention as promising candidates for next-generation high-power energy storage devices because of their high theoretical capacity and energy density. However, the shuttle effect of polysulfides and poor conductivity of sulfur are still vital issues that constrain their specific capacity and cyclic stability. Here, we design coaxial MnO2-graphitic carbon hollow nanofibers as sulfur hosts for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries. The hollow C/MnO2 coaxial nanofibers are synthesized via electrospinning and carbonization of the carbon nanofibers (CNFs), followed by an in situ redox reaction to grow MnO2 nanosheets on the surface of CNFs. The inner graphitic carbon layer not only maintains intimate contact with sulfur and outer MnO2 shell to significantly increase the overall electrical conductivity but also acts as a protective layer to prevent dissolution of polysulfides. The outer MnO2 nanosheets restrain the shuttle effect greatly through chemisorption and redox reaction. Therefore, the robust S@C/MnO2 nanofiber cathode delivers an extraordinary rate capability and excellent cycling stability with a capacity decay rate of 0.044 and 0.051% per cycle after 1000cycles at 1.0C and 2.0C, respectively. Our present work brings forward a new facile and efficient strategy for the functionalization of inorganic metal oxide on graphitic carbons as sulfur hosts for high performance Li-S batteries.