Ultra-fast and facile preparation of uniform sulfur/graphene composites with microwave for lithium−sulfur batteries

Abstract Lithium−sulfur batteries are one of the most promising energy storage systems due to their high energy density. Many efforts have been made to improve the electrochemical performance of lithium−sulfur batteries. However, the complex and time-consuming preparation process hinders their practical application. In this work, an ultra-fast and facile method has been proposed to prepare the sulfur/graphene composites in a simplified and time-saving preparation process with the assistance of microwave. Microwave is introduced to help sulfur fleetly deposit uniformly on the surface of graphene within just 30 s. Nano-sized sulfur within 30 nm is generated in this ultra-fast process. Lithium−sulfur batteries with as-prepared sulfur/graphene composites exhibit good cycling life with a capacity of 503.5 mAh g −1 at 0.2 C. This method makes it possible for lithium−sulfur batteries to be practical.