Lithium-sulfur batteries render a high energy density but suffer from poor cyclic performance due to the dissolution of intermediate polysulfides. Herein, a lightweight nanoporous TiO2 and graphene oxide (GO) composite is prepared and utilized as an interlayer between a Li anode and a sulfur cathode to suppress the polysulfide migration and improve the electrochemical performance of Li/S batteries. The interlayer can capture the polysulfides due to the presence of oxygen functional groups and formation of chemical bonds. The hierarchically porous TiO2 nanoparticles are tightly wrapped in GO sheets and facilitate the polysulfide storage and chemical absorption. The excellent adhesion between TiO2 nanoparticles and GO sheets resulted in enhanced conductivity, which is highly desirable for an efficient electron transfer process. The Li/S battery with a TiO2/GO-coated separator exhibited a high initial discharge capacity of 1102.8 mAh g-1 and a 100th cycle capacity of 843.4 mAh g-1, which corresponds to a capacity retention of 76.48% at a current rate of 0.2 C. Moreover, the Li/S battery with the TiO2/GO-coated separator showed superior cyclic performance and excellent rate capability, which shows the promise of the TiO2/GO composite in next-generation Li/S batteries.
Keywords: TiO2/GO composite; dealloying; functional separator; lithium–sulfur batteries.