A Lithium-Ion Battery using a 3D-Array Nanostructured Graphene-Sulfur Cathode and a Silicon Oxide-Based Anode

An efficient lithium-ion battery was assembled by using an enhanced sulfur-based cathode and a silicon oxide-based anode and proposed as an innovative energy-storage system. The sulfur-carbon composite, which exploits graphene carbon with a 3D array (3DG-S), was synthesized by a reduction step through a microwave-assisted solvothermal technique and was fully characterized in terms of structure and morphology, thereby revealing suitable features for lithium-cell application. Electrochemical tests of the 3DG-S electrode in a lithium half-cell indicated a capacity ranging from 1200 to 1000mAhg(-1) at currents of C/10 and 1C, respectively. Remarkably, the Li-alloyed anode, namely, LiySiOx-C prepared by the sol-gel method and lithiated by surface treatment, showed suitable performance in a lithium half-cell by using an electrolyte designed for lithium-sulfur batteries. The LiySiOx-C/3DG-S battery was found to exhibit very promising properties with a capacity of approximately 460mAhg(S)(-1) delivered at an average voltage of approximately 1.5V over 200cycles, suggesting that the characterized materials would be suitable candidates for low-cost and high-energy-storage applications.