Poly(amic acid) Lithium Salt as a Multi-Functional Binder for High Performance Lithium/Sulfur Battery Cathodes

Water-soluble poly(amic acid) lithium (PAALi) salts were firstly used as the binders for lithium/sulfur battery. Benefiting plenty functional groups (amide and carboxylate), S@PAALi cathodes with sulfur loading of ca. 8.0 mg cm-2 showed excellent performance compared to the conventional polymer binders (such as PVDF): initial capacities > 1200 mAh g-1 and with > 84% retention after 130 cycles. This research provides a new approach to improving lithium-sulfur batteries by designing multi-functional binders.