Facile fabrication of sulfur/Ketjenblack-PEDOT:PSS composite as a cathode with improved cycling performance for lithium sulfur batteries

PEDOT:PSS additive plays a role as an electron path and barrier to suppress the polysulfide dissolution. [Display omitted] •PEDOT:PSS is used as a conductive additive in S/KB cathode.•PEDOT:PSS can play a role electron path and polysulfide dissolution suppressant.•Effectiveness of suppressing polysulfide dissolution by PEDOT:PSS is investigated.•S/KB + PEDOT:PSS demonstrates improved cell performance. Lithium sulfur batteries (LSBs) are regarded as promising electrochemical energy storage devices owing to their higher theoretical capacity than commercial cathode materials. Herein, we report a simple method for preparing a modified sulfur/Ketjenblack (S/KB) cathode using polymer composite poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), which displays ionic and electron conductivity and can suppress polysulfide dissolution during the charge-discharge process. The S/KB + PEDOT:PSS cathode displayed higher electrochemical performance than the S/KB cathode. The effectiveness of suppressing polysulfide dissolution was determined visually and by UV–visible spectroscopy. The findings demonstrate the multi-functionality of PEDOT:PSS as an efficient electron conductive additive for S/KB cathode in high-performance LSBs.