MnO2 particles-embedded porous carbon network as advanced sulfur host for high electrochemical performance

Although the lithium-sulfur batteries have high specific capacity and energy density, it is still a challenge to achieve the wide commercial applications due to the severe polysulfide migration and poor electronic conductivity of the element sulfur. To this context, we developed porous carbon/MnO 2 (PCMO) composites as sulfur host materials to increase the adsorption ability between the PCMO host and polysulfide. The MnO 2 particles embedded on the porous carbon severe as active sites to effectively adsorb and catalyze the polysulfide, therefore improving the redox kinetics and reducing shuttle effect. More importantly, the porous structure of the carbon can provide pathways for the lithium-ion diffusion, which accelerates the ion transport through the electrode. Owing to these merits, the as-prepared PCMO/S cathode exhibits high capacity, stable cycle performance and excellent rate capability.