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Synthesis and electrochemical characterisation of novel electrode materials for metal–sulfur batteries
Date
2025
Abstract
Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) are a promising next-generation energy storage technology, offering significantly higher energy densities compared to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), along with enhanced safety and lower costs. The use of sulfur as a cathode material provides a theoretical capacity of 1672 mA h g⁻¹, making LSBs an attractive alternative to LIBs.1 However, challenges such as the polysulfide shuttle effect, low sulfur conductivity, and poor cycle stability hinder their commercialization.2 This research investigates sustainable material synthesis for LSBs, focusing on the conversion of waste materials into value-added electrode components, alongside lithium-metal-free anodes.
In this thesis, conductive carbons were derived from marine biowaste, including blue shark gelatine and prawn chitin, and evaluated as sulfur hosts. These materials demonstrated stable electrochemical performance, achieving specific capacities of ~700 and ~800 mA h g⁻¹, respectively, over 500 cycles. Additionally, municipal waste-derived conductive carbons were synthesized from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags, further optimized using hydrodynamic cavitation (HDC). The HDC treated cathodes exhibited improved porosity and enhanced sulfur retention, achieving an initial capacity of 841 mA h g⁻¹ and maintaining ~600 mA h g⁻¹ over 300 cycles.
To further understand LSBs, lithium-metal-free anodes were developed using tin oxide (SnO₂) to pair in a full-cell. A hydrothermal synthesis and annealing process optimized the material’s electrochemical properties. Prelithiated SnO₂ anodes were successfully integrated into full-cell LSBs, demonstrating feasibility as an alternative to lithium-metal anodes. Finally, this research extends to aluminium–sulfur batteries (ASBs), where the impact of electrolyte-to-sulfur ratio on cycling behavior was systematically analyzed. Optimized ASB cells achieved stable performance over 250 cycles.
This study highlights the potential of sustainable waste-derived materials for LSB, full-cell analysis and optimisation and the study of ASBs, offering a pathway toward environmentally friendly, high-performance energy storage solutions, that go beyond LIBs.
Supervisor
Ryan, Kevin M.
Geaney, Hugh
McNulty, David
Geaney, Hugh
McNulty, David
Description
Publisher
University of Limerick
Citation
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Files
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Forde_2025_Synthesis.pdf
Adobe PDF, 12.59 MB
Funding code
Funding Information
Sustainable Development Goals
Type
Thesis
Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/