Mass Production of Customizable Core–Shell Active Materials in Seconds by Nano‐Vapor Deposition for Advancing Lithium Sulfur Battery

Abstract

AbstractRational design and scalable production of core–shell sulfur‐rich active materials is vital for not only the practical success of future metal–sulfur batteries but also for a deep insight into the core–shell design for sulfur‐based electrochemistry. However, this is a big challenge mainly due to the lack of efficient strategy for realizing precisely controlled core–shell structures. Herein, by harnessing the frictional heating and dispersion capability of the nanostorm technology developed in the authors’ laboratory, it is surprisingly found that sulfur‐rich active particles can be coated with on‐demand shell nanomaterials in seconds. To understand the process, a micro‐adhesion guided nano‐vapor deposition (MAG‐NVD) working mechanism is proposed. Enabled by this technology, customizable nano‐shell is realized in a super‐efficient and solvent‐free way. Further, the different roles of shell characteristics in affecting the sulfur‐cathode electrochemical performance are discovered and clarified. Last, large‐scale production of calendaring‐compatible cathode with the optimized core–shell active materials is demonstrated, and a Li–S pouch‐cell with 453 Wh kg−1@0.65 Ah is also reported. The proposed nano‐vapor deposition may provide an attractive alternative to the well‐known physical and chemical vapor deposition technologies.