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Screening Conductive MXenes for Lithium Polysulfide Adsorption
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Screening Conductive MXenes for Lithium Polysulfide Adsorption

Geetha Valurouthu, Mikhail Shekhirev, Mark Anayee, Ruocun (John) Wang, Kyle Matthews, Tetiana Parker, Robert W. Lord, Danzhen Zhang, Alex Inman, Marley Downes, …
Advanced functional materials, v 34(45), pn/a
01 Nov 2024
url
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202404430View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Chemistry Chemistry, Multidisciplinary Chemistry, Physical Materials Science, Multidisciplinary Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Physics, Applied Physics, Condensed Matter Science & Technology Science & Technology - Other Topics Materials Science Physical Sciences Physics Technology
MXenes are promising passive components that enable lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) by effectively trapping lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and facilitating surface-mediated redox reactions. Despite numerous studies highlighting the potential of MXenes in LSBs, there are no systematic studies of MXenes' composition influence on polysulfide adsorption, which is foundational to their applications in LSB. Here, a comprehensive investigation of LiPS adsorption on seven MXenes with varying chemistries (Ti2CTx, Ti3C2Tx, Ti3CNTx, Mo2TiC2Tx, V2CTx, Nb2CTx, and Nb4C3Tx), utilizing optical and analytical spectroscopic methods is performed. This work reports on the influence of polysulfide concentration, interaction time, and MXenes' chemistry (transition metal layer, carbide and carbonitride inner layer, surface terminations and structure) on the amount of adsorbed LiPSs and the adsorption mechanism. These findings reveal the formation of insoluble thiosulfate and polythionate complex species on the surfaces of all tested MXenes. Furthermore, the selective adsorption of lithium and sulfur, and the extent of conversion of the adsorbed species on MXenes varied based on their chemistry. For instance, Ti2CTx exhibits a strong tendency to adsorb lithium ions, while Mo2TiC2Tx is effective in trapping sulfur by forming long-chain polythionates. The latter demonstrates a significant conversion of intermediate polysulfides into low-order species. This study offers valuable guidance for the informed selection of MXenes in various functional components benefiting the future development of high-performance LSBs. The expansion of the MXene family prompted various independent studies aimed at exploring the potential use of different MXenes as passive components to enhance the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. In this study, seven distinct MXenes, exhibiting variations in their material chemistry, are screened to evaluate their capability for polysulfide adsorption and elucidate the mechanisms underlying this adsorption. image

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chemistry, Physical
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Physics, Applied
Physics, Condensed Matter
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