Nature Communications (Dec 2017)

Molecular understanding of polyelectrolyte binders that actively regulate ion transport in sulfur cathodes

  • Longjun Li,
  • Tod A. Pascal,
  • Justin G. Connell,
  • Frank Y. Fan,
  • Stephen M. Meckler,
  • Lin Ma,
  • Yet-Ming Chiang,
  • David Prendergast,
  • Brett A. Helms

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02410-6
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Polymer binders in battery electrodes can affect their performance, however design rules are still lacking. Here, the authors reveal why polyelectrolyte binders outperform charge-neutral alternatives in lithium–sulfur batteries, showing how cationic polyelectrolytes can regulate ion transport selectively.