Ordered mesoporous carbon/sulfur nanocomposite of high performances as cathode for lithium–sulfur battery

Ordered mesoporous carbon/sulfur (OMC/S) nanocomposites with hierarchically structured sulfur loading, ranging from 50 to 75 wt%, were synthesized via a simple melt-diffusion strategy. The OMC with a BET surface area of 2102 m2 g−1, a pore volume of 2.0 cm3 g−1 and unique bimodal mesoporous (5.6/2.3 nm) structure, was prepared from a triconstituent co-assembly method. The resulting OMC/S nanocomposite material served as cathode of rechargeable lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery. It has been tested that the novel OMC/S cathode can deliver a superior reversible capacity and cyclability. In particular, the nanocomposite with a loading of 60 wt% sulfur (OMC/S-60) presents the highest sulfur utilization ca. 70%, an excellent high rate capability ca. 6 C and a good cycling stability for up to 400 full charge–discharge cycles. The exceptional electrochemical performances are exclusively attributed to the large internal surface area and high porosity of the ordered mesoporous carbon, which favorites both electron and Li-ion transportations.