AUTHOR=Leonet Olatz , Doñoro Álvaro , Fernández-Barquín Ana , Kvasha Andriy , Urdampilleta Idoia , Blázquez J. Alberto 

TITLE=Understanding of Crucial Factors for Improving the Energy Density of Lithium-Sulfur Pouch Cells

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2022.888750

DOI=10.3389/fchem.2022.888750

ISSN=2296-2646

ABSTRACT=Rechargeable lithium−sulfur (Li−S) batteries are the most promising next-generation energy storage system due to their high energy density and low cost. Despite the increasing number of publications on the Li-S technology, the quantity of studies on real prototype cells is rather low. Furthermore, novel concepts developed using small lab cells cannot simply be transferred to high-energy cell prototypes due to fundamental differences. The electrolyte and lithium anode excess used in small lab cells is known to have a huge impact on cycle life, capacity and rate capability of the Li-S system. This work analyses the performance of pouch cells prototypes demonstrating the potential and hurdles of the technology. The impact of electrolyte variations and the sulfur cathode loading are studied. The energy density of Li-S pouch cell is improved up to 436 Wh kg-1, by combination of different approaches related with cell manufacturing, sulfur cathode optimization and electrolyte amount adjustment.