Synthesis of hollow porous carbon microspheres and their application to room-temperature Na-S batteries

A novel electrode material of room-temperature Na-S batteries was designed by hollow porous carbon microspheres (HPCM) derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which were used as a matrix to form HPCM/S composite by melt-infiltrating method. The electrochemical performance show that the HPCM/S composite as cathode delivered a reversible capacity over 617 mA h g−1 at 0.7C, maintaining over 311 mA h g−1 capacities after 60 cycles. The good electrochemical properties can be attributed to the hollow and porous structure of HPCM, which can host sulfur efficiently and alleviate the volume expansion caused by polysulfide.