Good Low-Temperature Properties of Nitrogen-Enriched Porous Carbon as Sulfur Hosts for High-Performance Li–S Batteries

Despite the increased attention devoted to exploring cathode construction based on various nitrogen-enriched carbon scaffolds at room temperature, the low-temperature behaviors of Li–S cathodes have yet to be studied. Herein, we demonstrate the good low-temperature electrochemical performances of nitrogen-enriched carbon/sulfur composite cathodes. Electrochemical evaluation indicates that a reversible capacity of 368 mAh g–1 (0.5 C) over 100 cycles is achieved at −20 °C. After returning to 25 °C, a capacity of 620 mAh g–1 (0.5 C) is achieved over 350 cycles with a low-capacity attenuation rate (0.071% per cycle) and an initial capacity of 1151 mAh g–1 (0.1C). This positive electrochemical property was speculated to result from the good surface chemistry of the various amine groups in the nitrogen-enriched carbon materials with enhanced polysulfide immobilization.