Carbon nitride grafted waste-derived carbon as sustainable materials for lithium–sulfur batteries

Abstract The synthesis of a sustainable material through carbon nitride (C 3 N 4 ) chemically grafted on waste-derived carbon including carbonizing coals (PM), melamine-urea-formaldehyde resins (MUF-C-1100), and luffa cylindrical sponges (SG), respectively, and its application as sulfur cathode in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries were demonstrated. The Li-S cell assembled by the sulfur (S) cathode with component from C 3 N 4 grafted coal-derived carbon (PM-CN) possesses a specific capacity of 1269.8 mA h g −1 at 0.05 C. At 1 C, the initial specific capacity of PM cathode is only 380.0 mA h g −1 , comparable to the PM-CN5 cathode of 681.9 mA h g −1 , and PM-CN10 cathode of 580.7 mA h g −1 , respectively. And, PM-CN 5 cathode presents the capacity retention of 75.9% with a coulomb efficiency (C.E.) of 97.3% after 200 cycles. The MUF-CN cathode gives a specific capacity of 1335.6 mA h g −1 at 0.05 C, and the capacity retention of 66.7% with a C. E. of 93.6% after 300 cycles at 0.5 C. The SG-CN cathode had a specific capacity of 953.9 mA h g −1 at 0.05 C, and capacity retention of 95.1% with a C. E. of 98.2% after 125 cycles at 1 C. The remarkable improved performances were mainly ascribed to the sustainable materials as S host with micro-meso pore and C 3 N 4 structure providing the strong affinity N sites to lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). This work provides an attractive approach for the preparation of sustainable materials by rational design of grafting C 3 N 4 to waste-derived carbons with functions as S cathode materials for high-performance Li-S batteries.