Reasons for the effect of the amount of electrolyte on the performance of lithium–sulfur cells

As is known, the depth of the electrochemical reduction of sulfur and lithium polysulfides, the reduction rate, and the cycle life of lithium–sulfur cells decrease with the electrolyte content. The present paper studies the reasons for the effect of the amount of electrolyte on the depth of sulfur reduction and the cycle life of lithium–sulfur cells. The main reason for the effect of the amount of electrolyte on the depth of the electrochemical reduction of sulfur was shown to be the generation of solvate complexes of lithium polysulfides. The minimum amount of electrolyte required for complete reduction of sulfur during the discharge of lithium–sulfur cells is determined by the composition of the generated solvate complexes of lithium polysulfides. The solvate numbers of the lithium ion in the solvate complexes of lithium polysulfides generted in sulfolane electrolyte systems were evaluated from the experimental data. An analysis of the results shows that the minimum solvate number of lithium ions in the solvate complexes of lithium polysulfides with sulfolane is 1.