An aqueous electrolyte rechargeable Li-ion/polysulfide battery

Abstract

In spite of great research efforts on Li-S batteries in aprotic organic electrolytes, there have been very few studies showing the potential application of this system in aqueous electrolyte. Herein, we explore this option and report on a cheaper and safer new aqueous system coupling a well-known cathode material in Li-ion batteries (i.e. LiMn2O4) with a dissolved polysulfide anode. In comparison with classical Li-S batteries containing aprotic organic solvents, the aqueous electrolyte offers a stable cycling profile over 100 cycles with faster C-regime.