Fabrication of carbon-sulphur composites via a vibration mill process as cathode material for lithium sulphur batteries

Efficiency, scalability and economic feasibility are important aspects for the fabrication of cathode materials for lithium-sulphur batteries. For the easy preparation of homogeneous carbon-sulphur composites with defined pore structures and contents of incorporated sulphur, a vibration mill process was investigated. The process enables an intensive homogenization and structuring of the sulphur composite. To evaluate the incorporation process, different porous host materials were compared and processed with PEDOT:PSS as binder in water to evaluate the performance of the cathodes. As a result of different material properties, the electrodes also show distinct differences in their properties and electrochemical performance. In combination with commercially available carbon host materials, the presented process is scalable and relevant for further investigations. Overall it is also shown that commercially available or self-synthesized carbon materials can be tailored by certain process steps to meet requirements for actual electrochemical applications.