The Design of the Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub> Heterostructure as Bifunctional Adsorption/Electrocatalytic Materials for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Lithium–sulfur (Li-S) batteries are hindered by the sluggish electrochemical kinetics and poor reversibility of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), which limits their practical energy density and cycle life. In order to address this issue, a novel Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| author | Xialei Li Wen Shang Shan Zhang Chun Xu Jiabiao Lian Guochun Li |
| author_facet | Xialei Li Wen Shang Shan Zhang Chun Xu Jiabiao Lian Guochun Li |
| author_sort | Xialei Li |
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| description | Lithium–sulfur (Li-S) batteries are hindered by the sluggish electrochemical kinetics and poor reversibility of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), which limits their practical energy density and cycle life. In order to address this issue, a novel Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub> heterostructure was synthesized via electrospinning and nitridation as a functional coating for polypropylene (PP) separators. Adsorption experiments were conducted in order to ascertain the heterostructure’s superior affinity for LiPSs, thereby effectively mitigating their shuttling. Studies of Li<sub>2</sub>S nucleation demonstrated the catalytic role of the substance in accelerating the deposition kinetics of Li<sub>2</sub>S. Consequently, Li-S cells that employed the Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub>-modified separator were found to achieve significantly enhanced electrochemical performance, with the cells delivering an initial discharge capacity of 1294.4 mAh g<sup>−1</sup> at 0.2 C. The results demonstrate that, after 150 cycles, the cells retained a discharge capacity of 796.2 mAh g<sup>−1</sup>, corresponding to a low capacity decay rate of only 0.25% per cycle. In addition, the rate capability of the cells was found to be improved in comparison to control cells with NiNb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>6</sub>-modified or pristine separators. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2079-4991 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| series | Nanomaterials |
| spelling | doaj-art-1ffb60757bec481cb90fa66905feca8f2025-08-20T03:17:08ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912025-07-011513101510.3390/nano15131015The Design of the Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub> Heterostructure as Bifunctional Adsorption/Electrocatalytic Materials for Lithium–Sulfur BatteriesXialei Li0Wen Shang1Shan Zhang2Chun Xu3Jiabiao Lian4Guochun Li5Key Laboratory of Fine Chemical Application Technology of Luzhou, Sichuan Vocational College of Chemical Technology, Luzhou 646300, ChinaKey Laboratory of Fine Chemical Application Technology of Luzhou, Sichuan Vocational College of Chemical Technology, Luzhou 646300, ChinaKey Laboratory of Fine Chemical Application Technology of Luzhou, Sichuan Vocational College of Chemical Technology, Luzhou 646300, ChinaKey Laboratory of Fine Chemical Application Technology of Luzhou, Sichuan Vocational College of Chemical Technology, Luzhou 646300, ChinaKey Laboratory of High-Tech Research on Power Batteries and Energy Storage of Zhenjiang, Institute for Energy Research, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, ChinaKey Laboratory of Fine Chemical Application Technology of Luzhou, Sichuan Vocational College of Chemical Technology, Luzhou 646300, ChinaLithium–sulfur (Li-S) batteries are hindered by the sluggish electrochemical kinetics and poor reversibility of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), which limits their practical energy density and cycle life. In order to address this issue, a novel Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub> heterostructure was synthesized via electrospinning and nitridation as a functional coating for polypropylene (PP) separators. Adsorption experiments were conducted in order to ascertain the heterostructure’s superior affinity for LiPSs, thereby effectively mitigating their shuttling. Studies of Li<sub>2</sub>S nucleation demonstrated the catalytic role of the substance in accelerating the deposition kinetics of Li<sub>2</sub>S. Consequently, Li-S cells that employed the Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub>-modified separator were found to achieve significantly enhanced electrochemical performance, with the cells delivering an initial discharge capacity of 1294.4 mAh g<sup>−1</sup> at 0.2 C. The results demonstrate that, after 150 cycles, the cells retained a discharge capacity of 796.2 mAh g<sup>−1</sup>, corresponding to a low capacity decay rate of only 0.25% per cycle. In addition, the rate capability of the cells was found to be improved in comparison to control cells with NiNb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>6</sub>-modified or pristine separators.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/13/1015lithium–sulfur batteriesheterostructuremodified separatoradsorptionelectrocatalysis |
| spellingShingle | Xialei Li Wen Shang Shan Zhang Chun Xu Jiabiao Lian Guochun Li The Design of the Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub> Heterostructure as Bifunctional Adsorption/Electrocatalytic Materials for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries Nanomaterials lithium–sulfur batteries heterostructure modified separator adsorption electrocatalysis |
| title | The Design of the Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub> Heterostructure as Bifunctional Adsorption/Electrocatalytic Materials for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries |
| title_full | The Design of the Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub> Heterostructure as Bifunctional Adsorption/Electrocatalytic Materials for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries |
| title_fullStr | The Design of the Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub> Heterostructure as Bifunctional Adsorption/Electrocatalytic Materials for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Design of the Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub> Heterostructure as Bifunctional Adsorption/Electrocatalytic Materials for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries |
| title_short | The Design of the Ni<sub>3</sub>N/Nb<sub>4</sub>N<sub>5</sub> Heterostructure as Bifunctional Adsorption/Electrocatalytic Materials for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries |
| title_sort | design of the ni sub 3 sub n nb sub 4 sub n sub 5 sub heterostructure as bifunctional adsorption electrocatalytic materials for lithium sulfur batteries |
| topic | lithium–sulfur batteries heterostructure modified separator adsorption electrocatalysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/13/1015 |
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