Investigation of non-woven carbon paper as a current collector for sulfur positive electrode-Understanding of the mechanism and potential applications for Li/S batteries

Porous 3-D current collectors have been shown to be the primary choice in replacing classical 2D aluminum foil in applicable developments, especially those using carbon-based current collectors. In this study, we investigated the impact of using a non-woven carbon (NWC) based current collector for sulfur electrodes, in terms of performance and practical use in a commercial battery, keeping in mind the simplicity of electrode preparation method. The benefits of using NWC as a 3D current collector include high sulfur utilization for even highly loaded electrodes, lower polarization, and the provision of an efficient electrolyte reservoir. High discharge capacities up to ∼1200 mAh g−1 can be obtained at moderate C-rates, with relatively good capacity retention (<1% loss per cycle) and practical loadings as high as 8 mAh cm−2.