Uncovering the untapped potential of copper(I) sulphide toward lithium-ion storage under ultra-low temperatures

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2023-03, Vol.11 (12), p.6168-618
• Main Authors: Chen, Yifan, Wang, Jinze, Hong, Youran, Yang, Yusi, Tan, Lulu, Li, Nan, Ma, Can, Wang, Jiangwei, Fan, Xiulin, Zhu, Yujie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Copper sulfides; Electrochemical analysis; Electrochemistry; Electrode materials; Electrodes; Electrolytes; Electrolytic cells; Ion storage; Lithium; Lithium-ion batteries; Low temperature; Plateaus; Reaction mechanisms; Rechargeable batteries; Room temperature; Specific capacity; Sulfides
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/d3ta00213f

Recently, to enhance the low-temperature performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), significant efforts have been devoted to developing novel electrolytes with low viscosities, high conductivities, and facile Li-ion desolvation, while much less attention is paid to exploring optimum electrode materials for low-temperature LIBs. In this contribution, we discover that commercial microsized Cu 2 S exhibits a remarkably high performance toward lithium storage under ultra-low temperatures. Under room temperature, it delivers a reversible specific capacity of 318.8 mA h g −1 with very flat lithiation-delithiation plateaus around 1.75 V in Li metal cells. At −60 °C and a galvanostatic charge-discharge rate of 0.3C, it could still provide a reversible specific capacity of 168.8 mA h g −1 with stable cycling performance, promising its application in ultra-low-temperature Li-based batteries. Through a combination of microscopic, spectroscopic, and electrochemical characterization bolstered by theoretical calculations, the detailed reaction mechanisms and mechanistic understanding of the excellent low-temperature performances are proposed. This work points out the great opportunities to enhance the low-temperature performance of LIBs by discovering suitable electrode materials. The superior lithium storage performance of commercially available Cu 2 S under ultra-low temperature (−60 °C) is uncovered. The detailed reaction mechanism and mechanistic understanding of the excellent low-temperature performances are proposed.