Investigation of materials and convection for lithium sulfur batteries

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The following dissertation investigates different aspects of lithium-sulfur batteries. Lithium-sulfur batteries have a higher theoretical capacity than current lithium-ion chemistries. First, a study on the lithium-metal electrode and the formation of dendrites investigates how flow impacts the failure from dendrites of these electrodes. Second, a study relying on charging to avoid the soluble intermediates generated through charge/discharge of sulfur-cathodes which are the primary cause of capacity fade in these systems. Third, sulfur is polymerized through radical polymerization with diene comonomers in order to reduce the solubility and mobility of the intermediates generated during cycling. Using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) theory, the surface area and pore volume can be observed before and after cycling demonstrating the amount of mobility the active material has during cycling. Finally, a study on the conduction phenomena in convection batteries is studied through a literature review and COMSOL simulation.