An N-doped porous carbon/MXene composite as a sulfur host for lithium–sulfur batteries

Abstract

A three-dimensional composite (N-PC/Ti₃C₂) of MXene nanosheets and porous carbon was prepared by a facile self-sacrificing template method and further served as a sulfur host for lithium–sulfur batteries. The coexistence of nitrogen-doped porous carbon and MXene nanosheets endowed the composite with a large specific area, a 3D structure, a conductive network and strong physical and chemical double-adsorption of polysulfides. Furthermore, the sulfur content of the N-PC/Ti₃C₂ composite was high: up to 80%. As the cathode material of lithium–sulfur batteries, the S@N-PC/Ti₃C₂ electrode exhibited a long cycle life with a slow fading rate of 0.04% per cycle over 800 cycles.