title: Effect of carbon black materials on the electrochemical properties of sulfur-based composite cathode for lithium-sulfur cells.
abstract: To investigate the effect of the electrode materials on the electrochemical performance of Li-S cells, sulfur cathodes were constructed using four types of carbon blacks: Ketjenblack EC-600JD (KB-600), Printex XE-2, Cabot BP-2000, and Super-P. It was found that the electrochemical performance of sulfur cathode was strongly dependent on the type of carbon black used. In the first discharge, the sulfur cathodes containing carbon blacks with a high surface area, KB-600 (SBET = 1270 m2/g), Printex XE-2 (SBET = 950 m2/g), or Cabot BP-2000 (SBET = 1487 m2/g), showed much higher discharge capacities (>1200 mA h/g) than the sulfur cathode (710 mA h/g) with Super-P (SBET = 62 m2/g). It was observed that the sulfur cathodes with KB-600, Printex XE-2, or Cabot BP-2000, which showed very similar discharge capacities one another at a low rate of 0.2 C, exhibited significantly different electrochemical behavior (the discharge capacity and midvoltage) at a high rate of 1.0 C. In particular, the sulfur cathode with KB-600 showed an extremely high capacity (831 mA h/g) with a midvoltage of 2.07 V at a 1.0 C rate, and excellent capacity retention (79%) after 50 cycles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Korea University of Technology and Education (KOREATECH), Cheonan 330-708, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Bo Ock
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Sang Woon
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Tae Jeong
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun Hee
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seong Hun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Yongju
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jung