title: Facile Synthesis of Lithium Sulfide Nanocrystals for Use in Advanced Rechargeable Batteries.
abstract: This work reports a new method of synthesizing anhydrous lithium sulfide (Li2S) nanocrystals and demonstrates their potential as cathode materials for advanced rechargeable batteries. Li2S is synthesized by reacting hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with lithium naphthalenide (Li-NAP), a thermodynamically spontaneous reaction that proceeds to completion rapidly at ambient temperature and pressure. The process completely removes H2S, a major industrial waste, while cogenerating 1,4-dihydronaphthalene, itself a value-added chemical that can be used as liquid fuel. The phase purity, morphology, and homogeneity of the resulting nanopowders were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The synthesized Li2S nanoparticles (100 nm) were assembled into cathodes, and their performance was compared to that of cathodes fabricated using commercial Li2S micropowders (1-5 μm). Electrochemical analyses demonstrated that the synthesized Li2S were superior in terms of (dis)charge capacity, cycling stability, output voltage, and voltage efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines , 1012 14th Street, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States.
authors.forename: Xuemin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines , 1613 Illinois Street, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States.
authors.forename: Colin A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wolden
authors.affiliation: National Renewable Energy Laboratory , 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States.
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ban
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines , 1012 14th Street, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States.
authors.forename: Yongan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
keywords: hydrogen sulfide; lithium naphthalenide; lithium sulfide; lithium−sulfur batteries; synthesis