Bifunctional Sulfhydryl-Based Polyimides for Highly Active Cathodes of Li–S Batteries

Sulfhydryl-based polyimides were synthesized by the nucleophilic ring-opening reaction of thiolactone monomers (BPDA-T, ODPA-T, BTDA-T) with polyethylenimine (PEI), and they were coated on carbon nanotubes as host materials (BPTP@CNT, ODTP@CNT, and BTTP@CNT) of the sulfur cathode. BPTP@CNT/S, ODTP@CNT/S, and BTTP@CNT/S as cathode materials not only promote the covalent bonding of sulfur and polysulfide with sulfhydryl-based polyimides but also reduce the shuttle effect of soluble polysulfide in the redox process. Moreover, sulfhydryl-based polyimides can help improve the compatibility and interfacial contact between sulfur and conductive carbon while alleviating the volume expansion of the cathode. In addition, the conductive network of carbon nanotubes improves the electronic conductivity of the cathode materials. The BTTP@CNT/S cathode showed superior stability (the initial capacity was 902 mAh g –1 at 1C, and the capacity retention rate was 88.58% after 500 cycles) and the initial capacity could reach 718 mAh g –1 when the sulfur loading was 4.8 mg cm –2 (electrolyte/sulfur ratio: 10 μL mg –1 ), which fully proves the feasibility of the large-scale application of sulfhydryl-based polyimide materials.