3D-Mesoporous Carbon Infiltrated with Sulfur for High-Rate Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Shaddock peel mesoporous carbon (SPPC) with three-dimensional (3D) network architectural structure obtained from low-cost agricultural wastes, shaddock peel, has been fabricated via a simple thermal carbonization activated by ZnCl2. The porous carbon can be used to load sulfur for application in lithium-sulfur batteries. The obtained SPPC-sulfur (SPPC−S) composite shows good rate capability and superior cycling stability. When tested at 1 C, 2 C, 3 C rates after 500th cycles, the discharge capacity of 443.3, 300, 199 mA h g−1, with the capacity retention of 81.1 %, 84.4 %, 62.7 % can be achieved, respectively. Such excellent high-rate electrochemical performance can be attributed to the 3D network structure and the large specific surface area of SPPC, which can not only adsorb the soluble polysulphide intermediate product, but also alleviate the volume expansion effectively. Insights gained from this work would shed light on developing 3D-mesoporous carbon infiltrated with sulfur through a facile approach for high-rate stable lithium-sulfur batteries.